Future of general practice in NI is at risk ‘without decisive action’

Anthony Devlin/PA Wire

By Daniel Pye

Without decisive action now the future of general practice is at risk, a medical college has told Stormont.

The Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) has set out key recommendations for the Northern Ireland government in the face of “unprecedented pressures” from rising patient numbers, complexity of care, workforce shortages and financial instability.

General practice in the devolved nation is now at a “critical juncture,” the RCGP said.

It added that a strategic plan has not been developed since the Department of Health (DoH) recognised in its 2025 Reset Plan that there is a need to shift more care into the community.

Since July 2022, a total of 29 practices have handed back their contracts. The number of practices has fallen by almost 13% by 2014.

Dr Ursula Mason, chair of the RCGP in Northern Ireland, said: “Further instability will inevitably follow without urgent intervention.”

In a document titled Safeguarding the future of general practice in Northern Ireland, the RCGP outlined six actions it wants the government to take: