GP surgery closures across the UK have reached an all-time high, affecting an estimated half a million patients last year, research has found. Thirty-one of the 138 surgery closures in 2018 came as a result of mergers, the figures showed, which affected an estimated 161,126 patients. NHS England’s figures show that while the number of practice closures fell in 2017/18, the overall number of closures of GP contracts was up, due to the high rate of mergers. There were 179 closures of GP contracts in 2017-18, compared with 107 the year before. Of all the 2017/18 contractual closures, 62% (111) were due to mergers and the remaining 38% due to practice closures.

Source: The Guardian May 30, 2019 22:52 UTC