A senior doctor in Northern Ireland has spoken of the confusion in the region about the impact of Brexit on health services. Under the Brexit deal, Northern Ireland is to have special status, allowing it to retain close links with Ireland and leading to border checks for goods crossing the Irish Sea. The British Medical…

GP leaders in Northern Ireland have stepped up pressure on the region’s new government after the announcement of the closure of two practices. The closures are both in Belfast and forced by the resignation of partners. Ravenbank Practice in the east of the city is to close at the end of March and patients reallocated…

Practices across Northern Ireland will be using multi-disciplinary teams to relieve pressure on GPs, it has been announced. Health officials say the project will now involve practices covering some 675,000 people. Practices with the teams have physiotherapists, mental health specialists and social workers based on their premises – together with access to more specialist nurses.…

A new form aimed at streamlining requests for medical records is to be tested in practices in Northern Ireland. The form has been developed by the Law Society and the British Medical Association with a view to reducing the workload linked to requests for patient records. The form will ensure that 3rd Party Subject Access…

Practices in Northern Ireland are to get a package of investment of more than £26 million this year, it has been announced. It will pay for advanced nurse practitioners, pharmacists, elective care services and multidisciplinary teams. The money represents nearly a tenth of the £300 million annual turnover of general practice in the region. GP…

Nearly half of GPs in Wales now believe their practices are “financially unsustainable,” according to a new survey. These doctors, about 42% of the total, believe there is “nowhere near enough” funding for general practice in the country, according to the survey by the Royal College of GPs. Another 42% say that funding is “not…

A Northern Ireland practice has been praised after staff rallied round to help a patient diagnosed with a rare disease. The praise from the patient led to the Ormeau Road Practice, Belfast, winning a Practice of the Year award. The practice was nominated by patients across Northern Ireland in a competition run by the Royal…