Fermanagh councillors want more support for area's GP practices

As the clock ticked towards its pending closure due to the retirement of the GP who ran the practice, almost 6,000 patients waited anxiously for news.

On June 28 –just two days before the deadline expired – the Department of Health confirmed the Western Trust would take on the contract for locum GP cover under a temporary arrangement.

Councillor Eamon Keenan, Independent, remarked: “This shows what can be done when there’s a will to do it. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much drive or will to sort out Rosslea GP surgery in 2017. The Trust has now set the precedent.”

He proposed requesting the same action for Rosslea, because: “The current system in Lisnaskea isn’t working. They are overstretched. There are 16,000 patients and they’ve lost half the doctors.

“Many people who manage to get an appointment can’t afford the 30-mile round trip. It’s imperative the Trust gets involved to resolve the GP crisis in Erne East.”

This was seconded by Councillor Donal O’Cofaigh, Independent, who last month called for GP Direct Contracting, which wasn’t widely supported in the Chamber, yet: “It’s interesting and noteworthy we have now moved to that arrangement, which was precisely the position I felt was the only solution.

“The scale of the GP crisis in this area is the worst in the UK. The Department needs to take ownership of these services.

“Undoubtedly, there is a significant cost, but that’s the result of privatisation, right across the NHS. All communities have the right to access GP services.”

Councillor Josephine Deehan, Independent, told members: “No-one was more relieved than me to hear the GP practice was saved, albeit on a temporary basis to allow time for a permanent arrangement.

“I argued strongly that the dispersal of the patient population to neighbouring practices would be a disaster.

“The fact is, we don’t have enough GPs to service the needs of the community. Practices like Dromore and Trillick do not attract newly-qualified GPs because of the onerous nature of the work and lack of support.”

However, she pointed out the Western Trust is “still dependent on locum GPs”. She continued: “The Trust and Department are pouring huge resources in this, providing administrative, pharmacy and social services support, none of which has yet been offered to many other practices, who have been crying out for years.”

Sinn Fein’s Councillor Sheamus Greene queried if using locum doctors is sustainable, because: “I have heard quotes of payments of up to £150 per hour. There is a 16 per cent reduction in GPs in the West, and we have to highlight how terribly our rural area is treated.”

Party colleague, Councillor Stephen McCann, told the Chamber: “We definitely find ourselves in a more favourable position than last month. Panic became more intense as the deadline loomed. There was great relief when the Western Trust took on the practice.

“We do recognise it’s not a permanent fix, but it will keep the doors of the practice open.”
However, he expressed disappointment that the Minister for Health, Robin Swann, had not responded to a letter sent by the Council, saying: “In the face of a major issue we didn’t even get an acknowledgement.

“I’m sure the Minister has been working very hard behind the scenes, but we need to hear from him. It’s not good enough that he doesn’t respond to our letter.”

Councillor Victor Warrington, Ulster Unionist, said while it was a good short-term fix: “Unfortunately, locums are not the way to go forward, as the cost is quite substantial. The ideal situation would be to have a permanent doctor installed.”

In respect of Rosslea, Councillor Warrington felt the blame did not all lie with the Department or Western Trust, as “no GP would apply for the post, purely because it was a single-doctor surgery”.

He continued: “It’s not attractive to GPs, with the amount of workload. That’s not the answer people want, but it’s being realistic. We need to work hard at this as a council.”

Councillor Keenan’s proposal passed without dissent.