A Northamptonshire GP is keeping the practice list closed because of GP shortages and patient safety concerns despite it being a breach of his NHS contract.
Dr Hadrian Moss, from Dryland Surgery in Kettering, told the BBC he followed British Medical Association (BMA) guidelines, which suggests that doctors can close their lists if they feel taking on more patients would affect patients’ quality of care overall.
Currently, doctors have to apply to NHS England for permission to close their lists, and contractually cannot informally close their lists to new patients.
Dr Moss said: “They may bully us into reopening [the list], which would endanger patient safety.”
Dr Moss has worked at the surgery for 29 years, and Dryland Surgery’s senior partner retired at the beginning of the year, meaning the number of patients allocated to each doctor increased from 2,090 to 2,500.
