Burnham and Berrow Medical Centre, based in Burnham-on-Sea, said it no longer had the skills to offer tests and monitoring for patients using warfarin, a medicine used to prevent blood clotting.

The Royal College of GPs last month described the escalation of the GP skills crisis this decade as “staggering”.

A statement from the Somerset practice this week said: “Burnham and Berrow Medical Centre will be ceasing to provide regular warfarin blood testing and monitoring for our patients with effect from 1 July.

“In common with many other practices, we have had extreme difficulties in recruiting new GPs and nurses to replace those who have retired in the past few years and, despite nationwide advertising, have been unable to attract sufficient new medical staff.”

RCGP chair Helen Stokes-Lampard said in May: “Workload in general practice is escalating – it has increased 16% over the last seven years according to the latest research – yet investment in our service has steadily declined over the last decade and the number of GPs has not risen in step with patient demand.

“This must be addressed as a matter of urgency. Progress is being made in recruiting more junior doctors into general practice, but overall GP numbers are down on last year, so we need to see a huge push in efforts to retain trained, experienced GPs in the workforce – as well as continuing to step up recruitment efforts, and making it easier to return to practise after a career break or period working abroad.”

UPDATE: 8/6/2017, 15:30
 
STATEMENT: Burnham Medical Centre and letter to warfarin patients

Burnham & Berrow Medical Centre will be ceasing to provide regular Warfarin blood testing and monitoring for our patients with effect from 1 July 2017. In common with many other Practices, they have had extreme difficulties in recruiting new GPs and nurses to replace those who have retired in the last few years, despite nationwide advertising, have been unable to attract new medical staff.

Dr Mike Wolfman, senior partner, commented: “We are extremely saddened to have to make this decision as a Practice, but as Warfarin monitoring is an additional service we have to concentrate our resources on providing essential general practice services and to hand back this enhanced service contract and the attached funding to the CCG, who are responsible for organising and funding anticoagulation monitoring. We need to stress that no patients should stop taking their Warfarin medication without medical advice as doing so could put them at increased risk of heart attacks or strokes, regardless of the reason they are taking Warfarin.”

Patients who wish to have further information about registering with a new GP Practice can contact Somerset Clinical Commissioning Group’s Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS). Their telephone number is free to call (0800 0851 067) and they can be contacted between 9.00am and 5.00pm, Monday to Friday.”

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