Frizington surgery to close after failure to recruit GPs

A failure to recruit GPs has been blamed for the planned permanent closure of a surgery in west Cumbria.

Operator Fellview Healthcare said it had no option but to close Frizington surgery, which has already been shut for a few weeks due to staff shortages.

It said "every effort" had been made to recruit a doctor.

North Cumbria Primary Care Alliance said there was no immediate solution to the lack of available GPs.

Mike Hunter, the alliance's Copeland locality lead said: "It concerns us greatly that we have had to make the decision to propose the closure of Frizington surgery.

"It is hoped that patients understand that patient care is our first priority and meeting their needs now and in the future is paramount."

Fellview Healthcare described the recruitment of GPs in west Cumbria as an "acute issue".

It said it would continue to operate surgeries in Whitehaven, Cleator Moor and Egremont and patients from the Frizington site would be be able to move.

It said GP numbers had fallen steadily over a number of years, and recruitment had proved "difficult" with many services needing a GP on site to deliver "safe and effective services" to all patients.

A study by the Health Foundation suggested one in four GP posts in England could be vacant within a decade.

The government has promised to recruit 6,000 extra GPs by 2024, but ministers have admitted they are struggling to achieve that.

Meanwhile Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust is offering a "welcome bonus" of up to £15,000 to consultant medical doctors.

The trust, which provides mental health and learning disability services, is recruiting for a number of roles and says the financial incentive is aimed at addressing short-term staff shortages.

Its chief executive Rajesh Nadkarni said: "Our staff have faced unprecedented challenges in recent times and have responded admirably, but we are aware of the day-to-day difficulties with staffing levels in some of our services."

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