Up to 80 staff could be let go at GP surgeries

UNION SAYS IT COULD IMPACT THOUSANDS OF PATIENTS

- WILLIAM TELFORD

AS many as 80 people, including doctors, nurses and paramedics, could lose their jobs at a group of five Plymouth GPs' surgeries as the company which runs them battles financial problems and falling patient numbers.

A union representing workers at the former Mayflower Medical Group of surgeries said it was concerned about the impact of imminent redundancies on staff and thousands of patients, some of whom are thought to be already in lengthy queues awaiting appointments.

MP Luke Pollard said the surgeries had been beset by problems for years and called for patients to receive "the service they deserve".

A worker at one of the surgeries, who said 500 people were awaiting appointments and 600 were waiting for blood tests, went further and said of the redundancies: "It's disgusting what they are doing to the patients."

The Herald has reported on how Fuller and Forbes Healthcare Group, which took over the five Mayflower surgeries this year, said it will be axing clinical and non-clinical staff but aims to keep the number of job losses "low" But now it has emerged that as many as 153 workers are at risk and up to 80 individuals could be made redundant.