A Douglas medical centre said it is concerned for the fate of general practice on the island as it gets set to close for good.

Because of staffing issues, the Promenade Medical Centre in the Chester Street car park announced it would be permanently closing recently.

The practice, which has 4,300 patients, has been one doctor short for over a year and it found it impossible to find a replacement for another doctor who is retiring.

The practice said ’vulnerable people will be especially affected’ by the closure.

Dr Clare Hillas and Dr Helen Greig say Promenade Medical Centre is ’deeply saddened’ to make the decision.

’We have been one doctor short for over a year and one of us is now retiring, and it has proved impossible to recruit a replacement doctor, despite the practice spending thousands of pounds advertising in the UK and Eire,’ a statement from the doctors reads.

’Our practice is paid less per patient than other Manx practices despite having many patients for whom English is not their first language and high numbers of people living alone in bed-sits, B&B accommodation and single occupancy short term lets.’

They add that for general practice ’these groups do not attract resources under our current contract’, which is partly due to the shortage of GPs in the British Isles but also due to a lack of investment in the island’s Primary Care ’despite the ageing population and push for care in the community’.

The statement adds: ’These vulnerable people will be especially affected by the closure of the practice, meaning this low mobility group will have to travel greater distances to receive care.

’The lack of resources reduces the salary for potential new GPs and we had a number potential appointees for whom this was the deciding factor in declining the position.’

It said there will be an ’inevitable knock-on effect’ on other Douglas practices once the Promenade Medical Centre closes.

’Whilst it appears too late to save this practice, we are concerned for the fate of General Practice on the island,’ it continues.

’We deeply regret the closure of the practice, and the effects that it will have on our patients, many of whom have been with us all their lives.

’We equally regret the impact this is having on our staff - we have a great and happy team. It has been a heart-wrenching decision for us.’

The Department of Health and Social Care has asked Douglas area GP practices how they might be able to assist in taking on patients. Not all have responded as yet, but are being pursued for an answer, the DHSC said.

Patients are having their queries handled by the department with a letter being promised by the end of the month which will update them on what is happening.

’A final resolution is still being worked on and among other avenues, we are looking at the experience of counterparts in the UK dealing with the closure of small GP practices and subsequent dispersal of patients,’ a spokesman added.