A number of patients at a medical practice in Trafford have been told they need to find a new doctor due to catchment restrictions.
A letter was sent to patients at Flixton Road Medical Centre in Urmston who don't fall into the practice's M41 postcode catchment area. It informed them that they were now out of reach of the service and would have to find a new medical practice within 30 days.
The letter, dated March 12, said: “Following a review of our registered patients, we note that you are registered to an address that is outside of our M41 catchment area. As a result, the Practice is unable to continue to provide you with medical services and it will be necessary for you to register elsewhere.
“We often receive requests from patients wishing to stay registered despite being out of area, however we would be unable to cope with the demand for appointments and visits. We especially have to consider the impact of home visits by our GP's and the Community Services for patients who are out of the area which can take a considerable time due to traffic and distance.
“Whilst I appreciate you hope never to need home visits, an individual's health can deteriorate unexpectedly and home visits can become a regular necessity."
The letter said the changes will come into effect from April 12 - meaning those contacted only had a month from the letter being sent to find a new doctor. It adds: “After this date, it will no longer be possible to provide medical advice here at the surgery.”
A spokesperson for the practice told the MEN that Flixton Road Medical Centre is in the process of trying to hire three new GPs to help relieve pressure on their workforce. The spokesperson said the practice had recommended 'some excellent GP surgeries' which people could switch to.
However, some patients only received the letter this week, limiting the amount of time they have to make a change.. Greg Barnes, 64, from Stretford, said his letter arrived on Tuesday (March 22).
Greg said he was shocked to hear he could no longer access the services at Flixton Road. He said he has been at previous incarnations of the service for almost 50 years now.
“All these medical practices have closed or morphed into other ones at some point over the years,” Greg told the M.E.N. “I was at one 50 years ago which then 20 years ago moved to the medical practice at Trafford General Hospital. That was then taken over by the current Flixton Road practice a couple of years ago.”
Greg, who is a retired deputy headteacher, said he lives just 300 yards out of the practice’s new catchment area. “It has really brassed me off,” he admits.
“I’m sure they’ve played fast and loose with this. They could extend the borders if they wanted to but I think they’ve just decided that anyone not in the M41 postcode is out. They mentioned that we could find a new practice via the NHS Choices website so I logged onto it and it suggested I could register at Flixton Road!”
Greg said the next service is 1.6 miles away from him, but he has already heard of those services being stretched and worries an influx of new patients will put further strain on them.
“The nearest medical centre has just culled patients too so it kind of feels like it’s now a bit of a race to the bottom,” he said. “I don’t think it’s right.
“What really irks me is that these guys have taken money from the government to take over a practice and all of those patients come with funding. Now they've decided to cull a number of them because they’re very busy. A lot of the practices in the area have already closed.
“They have received funding from the government based on how many patients they have, but I’m pretty sure they won’t give back the funding they received for the patients that are now going to have to go somewhere else. Surely the funding should go alongside that patient?”
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Greg said he is currently in the middle of receiving hospital treatment and feels the letter comes across as a bit ‘insensitive’ because they know what he is dealing with.
“They know about my situation,” he explains. “This isn’t what I need on top of that. I just think this is not the way they should have dealt with it. There are better ways. It’s pretty heartless, really.”
Another patient, who asked not to be named, said he also received the letter on Tuesday. His partner, who lives in Stretford, said: “We are very shocked and disappointed.
“He has been at this practice for a long time. The letter mentions that the reason they have done this is because of the strain on home visits. We have lived at this house for 20 years and never had a doctor step foot inside.
“He has a choice of three other practices to choose from and he said he would prefer to stay where he is. I am already a patient at one of the medical centres that has been suggested to my partner and it is already over capacity.
“It is difficult enough trying to get an appointment there as it is. I can’t imagine what it will be like now with more people joining. I don’t think it’s fair that they tell us that we cannot use our preferred long term surgery.”
In response to complaints from patients who have been asked to stop using the practice, a spokesperson for Flixton Road Medical Centre said: “Flixton Road Medical Centre takes great pride in maintaining a high level of patient care and this remains a priority for the practice and our patients.
“All general practices have a set catchment area allocated to them and we have contacted anyone living outside of this area to recommend some excellent GP surgeries that are closer to them geographically. Our partners appreciate some patients may feel unhappy about this difficult decision but it was made in the interests of all our patients, and not taken lightly.
“Due to workforce pressures within the practice, we are in the process of recruiting three GPs, to ensure we can maintain the high standards of care that are important to us. We very happy to discuss any concerns people may have and will work with them to secure a registration with a GP practice close to home. Nobody will be left without access to GP services.”
