A RECRUITMENT crisis, dwindling budgets and increasing workloads are piling the pressure on to local GP surgeries – and a health chief has warned it is possible that some could close.

Nationally, fears have been voiced that up to 600 surgeries could shut as older GPs retire and cannot be replaced.

Sam Hullah, chief clinical officer of North Hampshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), has told The Gazette that things “have been coming to a head” in the profession over the last year – and he warned that local closures could be on the cards.

He said: “The problems have been getting worse for the last five years, but things have really been coming to a head over the last 12 months.

“We do have a GP recruitment problem. It is very difficult to recruit people at the bottom, and there are not people coming forward.

“People are turning to doing out-of-hours work or locum care, or they are emigrating, as pay and conditions are often better abroad.”

Mr Hullah added that what would have been unthinkable in the past – the closure of GP surgeries – is now a possibility. He said: “It is not imminent but it is a threat.

Dr Hullah added: “We are no different in north Hampshire to the rest of the UK – the same problems exist.

“Five years ago, it would have been inconceivable that surgeries would have to close because of staffing issues. Now, it is a concern.”

Dr Hullah said that increased workloads are making the profession unattractive to newly-qualified medics.

He explained: “The hours are increasing all the time. There is a misconception that being a GP is a nine-to-five job, but this is simply not the case.

A lot of GPs will begin work at 7am to 7.30am and will not leave until 9pm.

“There has been a real shift of resources away from GP practices, and things are becoming increasingly difficult.”

Dr Hullah, who is a practising GP at Crown Heights Medical Centre, in Basingstoke, said: “We want people to work with us, not against us.

“There is a feeling among GPs that sometimes people’s thresholds for seeking help is getting lower, and this puts unnecessary pressure on the system.

“I would ask that people think about where they can best get help – whether that be a pharmacist, by calling 111, or by visiting their GP, rather than automatically just making a doctor’s appointment.”