ShropDoc called in to aid medical practice
A medical practice is bringing in ShropDoc to help assess its patients because of a lack of doctors.
Two of the seven doctors at Newtown Medical Practice will retire later this year and a third will move to part-time hours.
A recruitment drive has proved unsuccessful and the practice says it has to make the best use of its GPs' time.
Patients who ring the practice in Park Street will be connected to a ShropDoc operator who will then decide how individual cases will be followed up.
The new system will come into force on Monday November 2.
In a letter to its patients, the surgery says: "If you feel you need medical care on the day your call will be dealt with by the ShropDoc nurse-led telephone triage service.
"Callers will be directed to the most appropriate service, whether a GP, nurse, physiotherapist, minor injuries service, pharmacist or healthcare assistant.
"ShropDoc already provides the out-of-hours medical service in Newtown so has considerable experience of dealing with patients at the practice," the letter says.
"This new system with ensure the practice continues to deliver sustainable quality care to patients and enable our GPs to see those with the greatest need first."
"Two of our doctors are retiring later this year and another is reducing from full-time to part-time hours. Currently recruiting GPs is difficult across the UK and the situation in Newtown is no different. We will continue our recruitment drive to bring new GPs to the area."
As well as its doctors the practice also has a clinical pharmacist, a nurse practitioner, three practice nurses and two health care assistants.
Councillor Joy Jones, who represents Newtown East on Powys County Council, said she hoped that patients would embrace the change.
"There is a nationwide shortage of GPs and I know that the surgery has been trying to recruit for some time now but to no avail. No-one suitable has of yet come through the door.
"The long term problem of a shortage of doctors is worrying. But at least the practice is looking at ways that it can deal with the problem."
