Health & Social Care Moray (HSCM) has taken over the running of Aberlour Medical Practice to ensure continued access to primary care services for the community.
A letter has been sent to patients by the health and social care partnership confirming that Dr Annabel Ross has ended the practiceโs contract to provide General Medical Services (GMS) with immediate effect. Dr Ross, the independent contractor and sole partner, made the difficult decision after her efforts to recruit additional permanent GPs to the practice were unsuccessful.
The Aberlour practice, which has just over 3,000 patients, will be managed and operated by HSCM on an interim basis while plans are developed to secure a robust and sustainable service to the community going forward.
Sean Coady, Head of Service and Deputy Chief Officer for HSCM, said: โWe would like to reassure patients that Aberlour Medical Practice remains fully operational and there is no need for them to take any action.
โWe have secured cover from locum GPs, some of who will already be familiar to patients, and are providing clinical and management support to the practiceโs clinical and office teams who are working as usual.
โWe appreciate this is an uncertain time for those registered with the practice and would like to thank the community for its understanding and co-operation during this time of change. As we begin to forward plan, we are inviting patients and interested stakeholders to meet with us to share their ideas on the next steps for the practice.โ
A drop-in community engagement session will take place in Fleming Hospital, Aberlour, on Monday 18 March 2024 between 2pm and 7pm. Patients have also been provided with an email address and phone line to put forward observations and suggestions meantime.
The recruitment and retention of GP continues to be a national challenge. Across Grampian, the number of practices and GPs has reduced while the list size per GP has increased, putting significant pressure on practices as demand exceeds capacity. Health & Social Care Moray is working with colleagues in the Aberdeenshire and Aberdeen City partnerships on a primary care visioning programme to address the challenges and achieve more resilient and sustainable services across Grampian.
