Navan’s largest GP practices turning away new patients

A major crisis is looming for GP care in Meath with practices unable to take on new patients and 31 per cent of family doctors set to retire in the next five to seven years.

New residents in Meath often find they are unable to register with a local practice and must go outside the county for GP care.
Local doctors have spoken out about the crisis, pointing out that Meath has the third lowest number of GPs per head of population in the country.
Practices in the county are unable to recruit new doctors. “Young doctors are voting with their feet. Our practices are too busy and the conditions are not as favourable as in other countries and they are leaving,” said Dr Marie Scully of Navan's Abbey House Medical Centre.
In Navan, the crisis is particularly acute with two of the larger practices now closed to any new registrations.
Dr Seamus McMenamin, a doctor in Bedford Medical Centre said GPs cannot take on any more patients and still deliver a safe service.
“There is no point registering a new patient, if they then cannot get an appointment because we are too busy,” he explained.
“In the past 10 to 15 years there has been a huge increase in the population of Navan but there has been no additional GPs.
“People moving here from other parts of the country cannot register with local practices, because they are so busy.”
This is exacerbated by the fact that so many GPs are set to retire over the next few years, with no prospect of new doctors coming along to replace them.
Dr McMenamin said that GPS saw a cut of 38 per cent in funding under Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (FEMPI) during the recession and while other public services have seen restoration in pay, GPs have not.
“We have a lot of doctors due to retire in the next few years and the question is if we will be able to replace them.”
“There are real concerns there soon wont be rural practices as the payment for distant travel has been cut, making rural practices unviable.
“This will have an effect on elderly people in rural areas, who will find it difficult to get into towns,” he said.
At least two of the biggest practices in Navan, Bedford Medical Centre and Abbey House Medical Centre have stopped registering new patients and some newcomers to Meath have to travel outside the county to see a family doctor. Dr Scully says that GPs are working from a 40 year-old contract that is not fit for purpose and doesn't reflect the way practices are run today.
She said the FEMPI cuts had made some practices unviable. “The costs are the same, wages or services haven't been reduced, but our funding has been cut by 38 per cent.
“Poor conditions and very busy practices mean that young doctors don't want to join us,” she says.
“In our practice, we can just about maintain he service to our existing patients, we cannot offer a service to anyone new. We have to turn away patients wishing to register every week. We do not have the manpower or resources to increase the size of the practice as we are barely coping with demand as it is.”
“Three of our partners are over 65 and will soon be fully retiring and we really struggle to find replacements.
“We are a training practice, but we can never get the GPs to stay, because they think we are too busy and conditions are better abroad.
“Busy practices are off-putting to new doctors, because they are not very good for a work-life balance,” she said.
“We have been telling the government that there is a crisis and that there are not enough GPs for years, but they are not listening.”
Deputy Peadar Toibín said Meath is already suffering a famine of doctors in many areas with patients waiting for days for doctor appointments.
“The lack of doctors is a significant factor in the spiralling numbers presenting at the A&E at Navan Hospital. When people can't get medical attention at the doctor their feel there is nowhere else to go other than the Emergency Department.
“This in turn leads to overcrowding, escalating trolley counts and pressure on overstretched staff”.