Some GP Surgeries Allowed to Fail

A letter from an NHS England official reportedly said that some struggling GP surgeries in England will be allowed to fail and close.

19:46 13 October 2016

A letter to official to managers and GPs in one region reportedly said that some struggling GP surgeries would be allowed to fail and close as NHS England is no longer able to “continue supporting practices irrespective of their ability… to transform appropriately.”

 

NHS England denied this was the case while a spokesman for the British Medical Association said it was “unacceptable” that some NHS managers believed that some GP practices would be left to close.

 

The letter sent by Paul Twomey, medical director of the NHS England North Yorkshire and Humber area team, to local GPs and health officials, reads: "The message we need to communicate to general practice is the GP Practice Forward View must be about transformation and in that sense is not like a pilot."

 

He continued adding that "vulnerable practices must either transform and deliver a quality service or be allowed to fail and wither by the system. We are no longer in a position to continue supporting practices irrespective of their willingness or ability as a provider to transform appropriately."