Fermanagh and South Tyrone is "crying out for investment" a local MLA has told a Stormont debate on the the issue of GP services.

The issue was brought to the Assembly floor before it collapsed last week by Fermanagh South Tyrone DUP MLA Deborah Erskine, a member of the Health Committee.

Speaking to the chamber, Mrs. Erskine said: “I will give you a snapshot of my constituency: GP out-of-hours services were removed from South Tyrone Hospital in the summer; there have been weekends with no GP out-of-hours service cover; and rural practices are on a cliff edge trying to retain and recruit staff.”

“Rural Fermanagh and South Tyrone is crying out for investment from the Health Minister in GP services. So far, the £5.5 million to fund additional GP services in Northern Ireland over the winter period does not appear to be cutting through. Throwing money at a broken system is no longer the answer.”

Sinn Féin MLA Áine Murphy then addressed the issue of GP recruitment.

She said: “One of the most fundamental issues is the scarcity of GPs, particularly in rural GP practices. I welcome the 70 new medical places at the Magee campus in Derry, although, in order to fully reap the benefits from that school, we need to incentivise students to remain and work in the North after they graduate, otherwise there will be a huge brain drain and the potential to further exacerbate the already poor provision of GP access in rural areas."

The issue of multidisciplinary teams (MDT) was raised by Ulster Unionist MLA Rosemary Barton. She said: “Multidisciplinary teams is an issue that the Minister and I have discussed, and I know that he shares my desire to see it rolled out to Fermanagh. I hope that the South West Federation can be confirmed in the coming weeks but especially before the Minister departs from office in May, as I worry that another Minister may not share the current Minister's enthusiasm for it.

“There are undoubted pressures in the system, but, every day and night, our health workers continue to do extraordinary things under the most difficult challenges.”

The issue of prescriptions from Out-of- Hours GPs was raised by Sinn Féin MLA Jemma Dolan: “I had a constituent in Garrison who managed to speak to an out-of-hours doctor on a Saturday. The doctor prescribed her medication but would not fax the prescription to the pharmacy in Garrison, which resulted in the woman having to travel 25 miles, which is a 50-mile round trip, to pick up a prescription.

"The Health and Social Care Board was very helpful when I raised the issue with it. It reassured me that processes are in place in emergency situations, when the patient is very old or vulnerable or there is a genuine and urgent need to get the medication before their local pharmacy closes, but that process is not widely encouraged. I want to see that changed or, at least, the patient given a choice as to where they want their prescription to be delivered.”

Others who spoke at this debate included: Sinn Féin Fermanagh South Tyrone MLA Colm Gildernew and Colin McGrath MLA for South Down, on behalf of the SDLP.

Responding Minister for Health, Robin Swann said: “ I understand well the particular challenges facing primary care services in rural areas; indeed, some Members may be aware that officials from my Department met Fermanagh and Omagh District Council recently to discuss issues in primary care in the region.

“Similar to the experience across the United Kingdom, all five out-of-hours providers in Northern Ireland, including Western Urgent Care, are experiencing increased difficulties in securing sufficient GP numbers to fill all available shifts.”

The Health Minister continued: “It is important to note, however, that the increasing demand for primary care services cannot be met solely by increasing the number of GPs, rather it is part of a wider programme of work to help improve patient access to services in primary care.

“Other elements include the wider roll-out of the primary care multidisciplinary teams, as has been mentioned, as well as the introduction of advanced nurse practitioners and additional general practice nurses, all of whom are making a difference to how services are delivered in primary care and contributing to improved patient outcomes. Plans for the further roll-out of the primary care MDT model are under development. As has already been indicated, that announcement is due to be made in the next few weeks.”