A MAJOR new effort is needed to avert a crisis over retiring GPs in Blackburn with Darwen, it has been warned.

NHS bosses said a ‘high proportion’ of family doctors and practice nurses are close to leaving, with one in four approaching retirement age. Now clinical commissioners have drawn up a three-year plan which includes combining practices to head off the emerging problem.

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They are encouraging more GPs and nurses to stay working, or consider taking up posts, in local surgeries.

However, a patient champion accused the borough’s clinical commissioning group of not acting quick enough to tackle the problem and ‘mismanaging GPs’.

Around 24 per cent of frontline doctors and nurses in Blackburn with Darwen are aged 55 to 64, according to a ‘forward view’ report drawn up by the borough’s clinical commissioning group.

Eighteen approved ‘GP trainers’, responsible for bringing along the next generation of family doctors, are among those likely to retire over the next five years.

Peter Sellars, the CCG’s primary care transformation manager, said in a report: “There is a lack of new GPs entering general practice within Blackburn with Darwen and, as such, innovative solutions are required in order to create a sustainable model for the future.”

Ambitious proposals have already been drawn up, subject to government funding, to create two new super-surgeries to address concerns over the number of practices sited in outdated converted houses.

And the Lancashire Telegraph can reveal the largest such project, if successful, would see a £9.57million combined practice created in north Blackburn, for patients who are currently registered with either the Umar, Little Harwood, Primrose Bank and Brookhouse health centres, or Brownhill, Roe Lee and Shifa surgeries.

Another high-priority initiative for the west of Blackburn, expected to be around £5.82million, would benefit Witton Medical Centre, Redlam Surgery and Limefield Surgery patients.

But issues remain around staffing, which the CCG said it is looking to address in partnership with the NHS training body, Health Education England, and East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust.

Eighty-one whole-time equivalent doctors work across Blackburn with Darwen’s 27 surgeries.

Every 44 staff members at these surgeries are responsible for 100,000 patients, which is ‘notably lower’ than the national average of 51.

Mr Sellars said: “GP retention is a growing area of concern, with vacancy rates reaching the highest levels for five years and recent surveys indicate that a significant proportion of GPs plan to leave general practice within the next five years.

“Looking forward, the retention of a suitably qualified workforce presents a significant challenge for the health and social care system. As well as attracting new staff, it is vital to try and stem the outward flow of GPs and other practice staff.”

Plans to address the falling numbers include expanding training opportunities for GPs, allowing some to specialise in areas outside primary care, while supporting ‘learning time’ for doctors away from surgery commitments.

New supporting roles such as physician associates, advanced practitioners and increased student nurse placements in general practice will also be considered.

Trainee doctors have also been undertaking four-month placements in general practice as part of the second year of their foundation course.

Other posts have become available, known as GP+ roles, which enables medics to work occasionally in other services such as dermatology or musculoskeletal conditions.

Russ McLean, chairman of East Lancashire Patients Voice, said: “To be quite frank, I’m appalled with Blackburn with Darwen CCG.

“Over the past few years they have become very insular and haven’t been forward thinking.

“The rest of the CCG’s across the country have been doing something about this.

“This is not a new problem, everybody has been talking about it for the last five years or so.

“The sooner Blackburn with Darwen CCG is amalgamated with East Lancashire CCG the better.

“They’ve mismanaged figures in the past, and now it looks like they’ve mismanaged GP’s.”

Cllr Tony Humphrys, vice-chairman of Blackburn with Darwen Council health scrutiny committee, said: “It is obviously a big concern to us that there is a significant number of doctors approaching retirement age.

“We’ve not been able to recruit to make up for this shortfall and that is going to put extra pressure on practices like A&E.

“This will mean there will be all sorts of consequences for people across the area.”

The CCG, as part of a five-year transformation package, has pledged to increase GP spending from 8.4 per cent of its budget to 11 per cent.