Dozens of practices in Northern Ireland remain at risk amid a spate of closures, senior doctors have warned.

So far this year partners at 16 practices have resigned from their contracts with the NI Department of Health – and the British Medical Association says another 30 practices are at risk. In some parts of the region, GPs have made public statements warning that they cannot take on patients from closed down practices without “destabilising” local services.

Speaking to Belfast Live, the chair of the Royal College of GPs in Northern Ireland, Dr Ursula Mason said: “Our BMA colleagues have clearly issued a stark warning about the deeply precarious situation we find ourselves in and this very much reflects what we are hearing from our members on the ground too. Practices are really struggling; demand continues to grow far beyond manageable levels and rising costs mean that it is very difficult to make ends meet.

“The situation could not be more serious and if we do not see action to stabilise general practice, more practices will be forced to hand back their contracts, leaving more communities at risk of losing this vital service.”