Aberdeenshire GP practice with 25,000 patients ends NHS contract after struggling to hire doctors

A Scots GP practice which provides care to more than 25,000 patients is to terminate its contract with the NHS.

Inverurie Medical Practice in Aberdeenshire said the decision was made due to recruitment struggles.

The contract with NHS Grampian will come to an end on 7 September.

Dr Iain Innes, partner at the practice, said: "This has been an extremely difficult decision for the partners, however, we cannot continue to provide the level of care we would wish to without recruiting new GPs to the practice.

"We have explored every avenue to recruit with positivity but there simply are not enough trained GPs out there.

"We have also tried to recruit to a variety of other roles to support patient care at the practice, but again we have struggled to get the people we need."

Aberdeenshire Health and Social Care Partnership will be responsible for the continued delivery of primary care services and has pledged to take on the practice itself if new operators cannot be found to run General Medical Services.

Patients will be kept informed throughout the process and no job losses are expected at the practice.

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Alex Pirrie, partnership manager for central Aberdeenshire, said: "Inverurie Medical Practice has unfortunately, like many others across the country, found itself in the position of being unable to recruit new, permanent GPs and as a result the partners have taken the very difficult decision to hand back their contract to us.

"We will be working closely with the practice and all other partners to secure a robust, sustainable, future focused primary care service for everyone registered with the practice.

"I appreciate that this is an uncertain time for those registered with the practice, however the practice will continue as normal over the next six months and there is no need for patients to change their practice, or take any other action, at this time."