Cuts are 'costing patient care' in NI, according to family doctors who have been 'calculating' the true cost of a £3.6 million cut in funding to general practice.

Funding cuts of approximately £10,000 per practice will likely result in job losses, cuts to services, increased A&E waiting times and increased admissions to hospitals as well as cuts to the treatment of diabetes, heart disease and stroke and ultimately, patients having to stay longer in hospital.

Commenting, Dr Brian Dunn, Larne GP and Chairman of the BMA's General Practitioner Committee in Northern Ireland said: "Minister McGimpsey has repeatedly promised to protect frontline health services.

"If general practice and the services it provides isn't a frontline service then I don't know what is. Patients are going to suffer," he insisted.

He was referring to around £3.6 million that was withdrawn by the Health and Social Care Board (HSCB) from 1 August.

While discretionary budgets have been targeted and the HSCB can legally do so, the BMA is warning that these cuts are shortsighted and will ultimately result in higher costs for the health service as a whole.

"GPs want to provide as much treatment as possible to people in the community, but this cut may well result in an increase in hospital admissions and a decreased ability of practices to co-operate with schemes that allow shorter hospital stays, leading to increased costs to the health service."

Hospital doctors are also worried about the impact of this cut to funding. Dr Paul Darragh, Chairman of the BMA's Council in Northern Ireland, who works in the Mid Ulster hospital said: "Current health service policy aims to provide more care in community settings and primary care. General practice now provides many treatments that used to be carried out in hospitals in recent years, for example minor surgery, diabetic care and preventive treatment of heart disease and strokes. This is under threat.

"We will see higher attendances at already stretched A&E departments and an increase in acute admissions as a result of GPs being prevented from providing current services."

The BMA is also concerned that this cut is just the start.

A number of other services including stroke care, treatment of minor injuries, smoking cessation and contraception have only been commissioned until the end of August - which is also worrying the GPs.

(BMcC/GK)