Commenting on today’s Investment in General Practice statistics Northern Ireland 2019-20 to 2023-24, Dr Ciaran Mullan, BMA NI GP committee deputy chair said: “GPs across Northern Ireland are feeling the impact of this real terms funding cut. Declining funding is making it harder for GP practices to stay open; it means we cannot offer all of the services to patients that we would like to. It also means practices might have to employ fewer staff, and that impacts on the ability to get appointments and see your GP.  
 
“GP practices need to be properly funded. The steady erosion of funding has a huge impact on morale and contributes to contract hand backs and our workforce crisis. We need to see an increase in the funding for general practice to avert a real crisis.  
 
“Recent changes to GP funding have created confusion and anger within general practice and while it is already clear to GPs that their funding is insufficient, seeing it laid clearly in black and white will do nothing to address this growing discontent.”