Lancaster and Morecambe GPs raise concerns about planned cut to minor injury surgeries

The decision to withdraw funding has been taken by Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board (ICB) and could see the end of a service which GP surgeries have provided for more than 20 years.

Lancashire & Cumbria Consortium of Local Medical Committees (LMC), which represents local doctors, thinks that without such funding, practices will no longer be able to provide care for minor injuries, forcing people to visit Urgent Treatment Centres or hospitals instead.

There are worries that the cuts could mean patients waiting longer for treatment for injuries such as scalds, animal bites and head bumps.

It is also feared that the move will put hospitals under more pressure and may lead to patients having to travel further for treatment, especially those living in rural areas.

“The decision to decommission the Minor Injuries Local Enhanced Service (LES) raises serious concerns for GP practices,” said Faye Tomlinson, LMC chief operating office.

“The lack of clarity on where these patients will now be seen creates significant uncertainty and raises the risk of confusion for both patients and practices. Worryingly, it appears there is no alternative commissioned service in place elsewhere in the healthcare system to pick up this workload, leaving a gap in care provision.”

According to LMC figures, in 2023-2024, surgeries across Morecambe Bay conducted at least 1,221 minor injury assessments, highlighting ‘a significant demand’ for the service.

“GP practices are already under immense pressure, and without clear communication from the ICB, there’s a real risk that patients will direct their complaints at practices that have no control over this decision,” said Ms Tomlinson.

“The ICB have stated that practices should direct patients to 111 or pharmacies, but it remains unclear whether these services have the capacity or capability to safely manage these cases.

“It is essential that the ICB takes responsibility for informing the public about this change. Clear, widespread communication is needed to explain where minor injury cases should now be directed, preventing GPs from being unfairly blamed for a decision that is entirely out of their control.”

Prof Craig Harris, chief operating officer for Lancashire and South Cumbria ICB, said: “The ICB has recently undertaken a major review of the locally commissioned services provided by general practices to ensure we are commissioning consistently across Lancashire and south Cumbria.

“One of the services we have looked at is minor injuries, which is provided by general practices in a few parts of Lancashire and south Cumbria. We know that there are other minor injury services and sources of advice and therefore plan to discontinue the general practice provided service.”

As part of their review, the ICB is also planning to fund an increased range of general practice services and will discuss options at a future board meeting.