A PATIENT group fears Maldon’s doctor surgeries will not be able to cope if no plan is put in place to combat vacancies left by retiring GPs.

Imminent retirements, increasing patient demand and poor adult social care allocation have been highlighted as local healthcare issues for Maldon in the Mid Essex Clinical Commissioning Group’s latest overview.

The report will go before Maldon District Council’s overview and scrutiny committee next week.

It said: “Imminent and medium term GP retirements expected. Coupled with challenges in retaining other staff including nursing staff across the locality and the known difficulties in recruiting clinical staff, there is concern about the maintenance and sustainability of the existing clinical resources.

“Closed Lists – a factor of the increasing demand and limited capacity.

“Work is ongoing in support of the practices to address both – reviewing appointments, care by appropriate professional, funding and GP recruitment (including participating in EU campaign).”

Adult Social Care resources were also highlighted, as they are not aligned to neighbourhoods and “are working towards a complete reconfiguration of their structures”.

Trevor Fernandes, chairman of the Blackwater Patient Participation Group, said the issue of GP retirement is a ‘real threat’ to Maldon’s health infrastructure.

He said: “As a patient group we and many others have been asking the question for some time now over what will happen when many of the GPs at Blackwater and Longfield retire and we’re just not getting the answers.

“The mass retirement is inevitable as so many are now in that age bracket, but there seems to be no plan to help fill the gap when they do go, which leaves a system that won’t be able to cope. We hear that nationwide there are many GP appointments which are missed or not needed, but often you have elderly patients making the appointment just so they can talk to someone.

“They’re isolated, they have noone else that will listen that they know of.

“It’s a problem that we need to educate the patients and the service providers to help combat it.

“Fiona Marshall, chief executive of Maldon District Council, said: “We are aware there are significant pressures on the existing services and we are doing all we can to deliver the new Maldon Health Hub in a timely manner.”