GP surgeries: Fewer practices now operating in Northern Ireland

The number of GP practices in Northern Ireland has fallen by just under 9% in eight years, according to the Department of Health.

There were 319 surgeries at the end of March this year compared to 350 in 2014.

The number of registered patients per practice has risen by about 15% - from 5,500 to 6,340 in the same period.

Despite the decrease in practices, the number of GPs, excluding locums, has gone up by 20% to 1,419 since 2014.

Of these, nearly six in 10 are women.

This is a big change since 2014 when the majority were male.

Northern Ireland has the second-highest number of GPs per 100, 000 registered population in the UK - Scotland has the highest.

The Western Health Trust has seen the largest proportionate decrease in GP practices at 16%, while the smallest proportionate decrease was in the Northern Trust area at 5%.

There were more than two million individuals registered with a GP practice here at the end of March, with Belfast having the largest patient population.

Of the first-time patients registered in Northern Ireland during 2021-22, 30% were non-UK nationals.

During 2021-22, the Health and Social Care's Business Services Organisation (BSO) processed payments of £342.7m towards the overall cost of GP services here.

The average BSO payment per registered patient was £169 - that's a rise of £11 per patient when compared to 2020/21.

Dr Alan Stout, chairman of the British Medical Association's NI GP committee, said the figures painted a worrying picture for the future of general practice in Northern Ireland.

"We can clearly see the pressures face by GPs in the last few years have had an impact; there are now fewer practices across Northern Ireland, yet they are having to deal with more patients," he said.

"We need to see a faster roll out of the MDTs [multidisciplinary teams], continued increase in training numbers, changes to pension taxation to prevent GPs retiring early, an indemnity solution for Northern Ireland to match the rest of the UK and a significant investment in our premises, many of which are substandard.

"It is also worth noting that the £11 increase per patient is not a sum that goes directly to practices, it incudes an investment in the wider health system, which is the right direction of travel but we still need the staff and the premises to support it."

Meanwhile, the Department of Health has said the Western Health Trust will work with the department on a temporary basis to secure ongoing locum GP cover for the Dromore and Trillick GP Practice in County Tyrone.

It comes after attempts to find a new GP to take over the practice following the resignation of the current GP.

The trust said it would also oversee administrative support and the provision of pharmacy and social work services.

The new arrangement will take effect from July until March 2023.

The department said patients "can be assured that its services will continue as normal under the new arrangement".