Surgery closures have risen almost eight-fold in six years. Léa Legraien asks whether moves to large-scale general practice can stem the flow.
‘We were highly profitable, it was a very good functioning partnership. We had 18,500 patients in a seaside area with an elderly population,’ says Dr Eamonn Jessup, a former partner in Prestatyn, North Wales.
‘The problem was, four out of nine partners hit retirement age at the same time. One went ill, so he had to retire. And then I thought “I’m going to be 62, do I really want to have responsibility for 4,500 patients on my head?” So we all decided to give our notice.’
A mere six years ago, experiences like Dr Jessop’s of a practice closing were considered aberrations. But since 2013, the landscape of general practice has changed immensely, with practices now closing in their hundreds.
Full story in Pulse, 31 May 2019