New figures highlight ‘critical challenges’ facing GP practices

NEW figures published by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) have highlighted the significant challenges facing GP practices in the Omagh area.

The rising number of registered patients and an increasing elderly population are exacerbating the issues in primary care.

Currently, there are 57,000 patients in the Omagh area, an increase of nearly 3,000 since 2012.

The number of GPs aged 55 and over in the district is the highest in Northern Ireland.

Additionally, the absence of multi-disciplinary teams, low morale among healthcare workers, and the emigration of doctors seeking better working conditions abroad, are seen as particularly serious issues.

Dr Rachel Wright, president of the South West GP Federation, emphasised the pressures faced by local GPs.

“It is vital we secure additional Multi-disciplinary Team (MDT) support to reduce widening health inequalities across Northern Ireland, and improve services and outcomes for our local population,” she stated.

“Investment in MDT rollout in the area will not only provide additional clinicians such as mental health practitioners and physiotherapists, but also expand the number of services and appointments offered by local practices, which will significantly help with recruitment and retention difficulties, thus further helping to stabilise primary care for future generations.”

Dr Ciara O’Neill, an Omagh GP, highlighted the low morale among doctors and staff within General Practice, stressing the strong desire to ‘see the patients who need to be seen’.

She stated, “Things have changed dramatically in the last ten years. We need people to accept that multi-disciplinary teams now have a crucial role to play in primary care.”

Dr Josephine Deehan warned that GP practices are at a ‘critical’, point but expressed hope for improvement.

“We are going to be faced with the Western Trust taking over more contracts. Things are at a critical stage, and the recruitment of doctors to rural practices in the west is vital,” she said.

The figures also show that two million individuals are now registered with a GP practice in Northern Ireland, with the Business Services Organisation processing £333 million in payments towards the overall cost of GP services. There are currently 1,448 GPs, excluding locums, working in Northern Ireland, with the proportion of female doctors rising dramatically from 46 per-cent to 60 per-cent of the workforce in the past decade.