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A record number of GP surgeries closed last year.

 

A record number of  GP surgeries closed last year.

As millions of us struggle to get appointments a record 138 GP surgeries closed last year. They closed at the rate of more than two a week and affected more than 50,000 patients according to figures from Pulse.

In 2013 only 18 surgeries shut across the UK. But by last year that number had increased nearly eight-fold according to figures today. The pressure on GPs is rising because the population is both growing and aging. A lot of doctors are under pressure and they are opting for early retirement or abandoning their careers.

Managers can not then find replacements for empty posts. And they have no choice but to shut their doors permanently or merge with another surgery.

Patients groups and doctors said that the trend is extremely serious particularly for the elderly and those reliant on public transport.

NHS England who runs the health service deny these figures from Pulse. According to their own data, it suggests that the pace of closures was slowing down.

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