AN emergency ban on new patients registering with two West Somerset GP surgeries has been imposed by the NHS following a ‘large influx’ of applications, partly attributed to ‘patient flight’ from Minehead.
Patients were expressing frustration on social media they could not get appointments with Minehead Medical Centre and were looking instead to register in nearby practices.
Now, the surgeries in Dunster and Porlock have introduced a three-month patient list closure ‘to protect the services’ and stop them being overwhelmed.
A spokesperson said: “We do not wish to add to the workload of our colleagues in nearby surgeries so we will continue to register patients new to the area whose address is nearer to either Dunster or Porlock than any other surgery.”
The spokesperson said requests received before the ban was in place would be honoured.
The list closure will run until February, beyond a 12-month contract for Leeds-based One Medical to run Minehead Medical Centre.
One Medical took over after the shock closure of the Minehead surgery just as the Care Quality Commission was about to serve an enforcement notice to suspend the practice provider.
An NHS Somerset spokesperson said the decision to close the Dunster and Porlock lists was ‘designed to prevent inter-practice transfers and prioritise and enable registrations for individuals genuinely new to the area, helping to ensure the provider can maintain safe and effective care for their existing patients’.
The spokesperson said: “Temporary informal list closures are often implemented to support practices from a resilience perspective, enabling them to manage their workload effectively and protect the quality of care for their existing patients and ensure their own work-related wellbeing.
“The informal closure is set for an initial three months and will be reviewed at that point to assess its impact and determine the next steps.
“Practices across the region continue to face the usual pressures linked to increasing patient demand which we see nationwide.
“Dunster and Porlock work in collaboration with neighbouring practices and have been key peers in supporting the positive improvement turnaround work being conducted at Minehead Medical Centre by the current caretaker provider.
“We welcome this approach during a challenging period and look forward to a return to fully open registrations in the near future.”
A spokesperson for One Medical said the Minehead team was working with colleagues at the NHS Somerset, Dunster and Porlock Surgeries, and primary care network colleagues to continue to improve services.
They said: “The practice now offers over 900 appointments per week across a multi-disciplinary team which includes GPs, advance nurse practitioners, and practice nurses, with a dedicated administrative team who signpost patients to the most appropriate professional, enabling effective and tailored care.
“The surgery recently invested in a cloud-based telephony system which provides patients with a call-back option, clear queue positions and wait times, along with useful messaging while waiting.
“They have introduced a new home visiting protocol which ensures those who need home visits, due to mobility, frailty, or palliative care are seen on the same day, eliminating previous wait times for appointments.”