More than one in 20 GP practice contracts in England have been terminated since 2013, official data obtained by GPonline reveal.
Figures from NHS England’s local commissioners show the full extent of the contract chaos inflicted on the service since the health service reforms of three years ago.
One GP leader said the figures confirmed the extent of the ‘catastrophe’ engulfing general practice.
Subregional figures, obtained using the Freedom of Information Act, reveal for the first time the full and escalating extent of disruptive practice closures, mergers and takeovers.
Commissioners provided details of 140 practice contracts that had been terminated because of a practice closure between 1 April 2013 and 21 March 2016. The number of closures more than doubled from 26 in 2013/14 to 59 the following year, with a further 55 before the end of last year.
A further 264 contracts were identified as having been merged over the three-year period. More detailed information from some areas indicated that around half of those practices involved in mergers may have been closed.
Full story at GPonline 5 August 2016