A HEALTH boss has raised serious concerns over the future of four East Lancashire surgeries after receiving repeated complaints that patients have failed to secure GP appointments at an under-fire medical centre.

Patients in Brierfield have complained about the continuing use of locums, difficulties with securing appointments and the lack of availability of a female GP, a concern especially highlighted by Asian heritage users.

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The Brierfield Medical Centre practice is run together with Pendle Valley in Nelson, Eagle Medical Practice at Accrington and the Horsfield Practice in Colne as part of a federation.

But the Lancashire Telegraph understands that the group is being run at a significant deficit.

East Lancashire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) is understood to have offered extra assistance, totalling £190,000, for the operators East Lancashire Medical Services (ELMS) to bridge the funding gap.

County Cllr Azhar Ali, Lancashire County Council's health and wellbeing cabinet member, is now set to write to the CCG and ELMS to question how the organisations can turn the situation around, amid ongoing problems with GP recruitment.

Cllr Ali said: "I intend to write to the CCG to raise serious concerns about the lack of funding for ELMS and the impact that this is having on deprived areas like these, which are already experiencing difficulties with the national shortage of GPs and securing access to NHS services.

"This is putting increasing pressure on the out-of-hours service and urgent care centres and I have asked for an urgent meeting with the CCG to see what action they are going to take to deliver what is necessary for these communities."

Cllr Naeem Ashraf, a borough councillor for Brierfield on Pendle Council, said between 20 and 30 worried patients had attended the last meeting of the town's area committee to outline their concerns.

He said: "Patients are attending for appointments one week with a locum and then finding that when they return, there's another GP, and this is a serious worry, especially for older people.

"The surgery has taken on a nurse practitioner but, with all due respect, that is fine for minor problems but not the same as being examined by a fully-qualified doctor."

David Massey, ELMS business contracts manager, said: "ELMS find themselves in a position, not unlike any other GP practice in the country, experiencing problems with the recruitment of GPs, a lack of central funding within primary care and increasing patient demand, some of which is inappropriate.

"We have previously proposed using internal resources to provide a dedicated appointment and clinical advice service in order to streamline appointments, which could help with the demand on the GP's time. However this has been declined by the practice patient group.

"The Brierfield surgery has permanent GPs, including regular access to a female permanent GP and nurse practitioner, both of whom are able to support the needs of female patients and a further female specialist clinician will be joining the team this week."

A spokesman for East Lancashire CCG said: "As the commissioner of the service we are always keen to hear and act on patients' views. We understand from ELMS, the provider, that there is access to a female GP for patients using the Brierfield Health Centre.

"In addition, female patients can access the nurse practitioner at the practice for a wide number of complaints. Collectively we are constantly reviewing the workforce as opportunities arise.

"There is however a national challenge around GP recruitment and the CCG is actively working with NHS Health Education North West and the medical schools in the north west to see if we can collectively improve this situation."