The Department of Health has confirmed that the Western Health and Social Care Trust has agreed to take on the contract for the Dromore and Trillick GP Practice in Co. Tyrone.

Under this new temporary arrangement, the Trust will work with the Department to secure ongoing locum GP cover for the practice.

The Trust will also oversee administrative support and the provision of pharmacy and social work services.

This new arrangement will take effect from July 1 until next March.

It follows extensive work to identify a new GP contractor to take over the practice, following the resignation of its current GP.

The Department said patients of the practice can be assured that its services will continue as normal under the new arrangement. They will receive letters on the situation over the coming days.

Patients needing GP services should continue to contact the practice as normal.

The Trust arrangement has been made under the Alternate Provider of Medical Services (APMS) contract. It is the second time an APMS contract has been put in place in Northern Ireland.

UUP MLA, Tom Elliott welcomed the decision by the Department of Health.

He said: “I’m glad that a solution has been found that sees the practice retained beyond the end of June.

"Having regularly spoken to the Minister [for Health] over recent weeks about Dromore/Trillick, I know there have been intensive discussions ongoing to explore all possible avenues to maintain the practice.

"Those deliberations included a range of stakeholders, not least with local GPs and the Western Health Trust.

“Whilst the Trust taking on the contract may be a fairly uncommon outcome, it’s one that crucially avoids the worrying option of the existing 5,400 patients being dispersed out across neighbouring practices.

“I hope the Trust, as well as the Department of Health, and staff working right across primary care, will be able to use this period now to find a more permanent solution to protect the long-term provision of services in the practice.

"In the meantime, this is very good news for the patients of Dromore/Trillick and the wider area,” added Mr. Elliott.