Ryehill Medical Practice – Information for patients

The GP Partners at Ryehill Medical Practice have given notice to terminate their contract with NHS Tayside with effect from 30 June 2022. This means the current GP practice will no longer be in place. The practice is currently run by the GPs who are independent contractors – this means they are not employed directly by the NHS.

NHS Tayside and Dundee Health and Social Care Partnership will now work together to ensure that patients have continued access to a GP.  

Who does this impact?

There are around 5,400 people registered with the practice. Many live locally but others live across Dundee and some live in the surrounding areas of Perth and Kinross and Angus. Around a third of the patients are aged 20-30, many of whom are students.

Why has this happened?

There is a national shortage of GPs. Ryehill Medical Practice needs more GPs and they have been trying to recruit for some time however, Ryehill Practice has not been able to recruit GPs to vacancies within their practice.

What has been done so far to support the practice?

NHS Tayside and Dundee Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) have been meeting with the practice to see what support can be provided and to help the independent GPs plan their next steps.

To try to reduce the workload for the remaining GPs and the practice team, the practice list has been closed to new patients and the practice boundary has been reduced to cover a more local area.

The practice has also been supported with additional staffing with an experienced practice manager assigned to help the practice. NHS Tayside also appointed a Career Start GP to the practice from 2017-2019, working three days a week in the practice.

What happens next?

All patients will have received a letter with what happens next.

Dundee HSCP and NHS Tayside are working together to look at options of how best patients at Ryehill can access ongoing care after 30 June 2022.

When a practice gives notice to terminate its contract with a Health Board, which is usually six months’ notice, a number of options are explored. These might include:

the practice merging with another local GP practice

patients being registered to a different GP practice in their local area

the practice being run by NHS Tayside, and this is dependent on being able to provide GPs to deliver care.

Options will then be presented to Dundee Integration Joint Board (IJB) to approve a preferred option and the IJB will make a recommendation which will then be considered by NHS Tayside. It is expected that a final decision will be made in May 2022.

What do patients need to do now?

The practice will continue to run as normal up to 30 June and so there is no need for patients to take any action. Everyone will continue to be looked after by GPs and staff at the practice.

Patients will be kept informed with details of the arrangements which are being made for their ongoing care and treatment.

If patients of the practice have any further questions, please contact NHS Tayside’s Primary Care Services Department on 01382 424176 in the first instance.

Will the building close?

Ryehill Medical Practice is the independently-contracted GP practice which operates from Ryehill Health Centre.

Ryehill Health Centre is the place people go to for other health and care services which includes health visitors, community mental health services and podiatry. These services will still be provided at Ryehill Health Centre beyond June 2022.

Part of the options process for the GP services will consider what other services which do not need to be delivered by a doctor could be provided in the building, which is owned by NHS Tayside.