10/11/2025
**************URGENT INFORMATION**************
We want to respond to some of the recent posts on the local forum, as there have been several misunderstandings circulating – including multiple comments made again this morning.
First, all three GP practices in Burscough DO see patients face to face. A few comments suggested that one practice is “not patient-facing”, which is simply not true. All practices see patients in person when it is clinically needed. Some use telephone triage or online systems to help manage demand, but all three still provide face-to-face appointments.
There has also been confusion about whether we are accepting new patients. All three practices **are** accepting new patients and NO the ICB hasn't been in touch as suggested in the posts. However, all of our lists are already FULL and have been for several years. WE ARE NOT ALLOWED TO OFFICIALLY CLOSE OUR LISTS EVEN THOUGH THEY ARE FULL, because every resident must be able to register with a GP. This is why we are suggesting patients go through allocation for a fair distribution of patients.
The problem is that the number of doctors is not increasing, while the number of patients is growing very quickly due to ongoing housebuilding in Burscough and families moving into the area
Even if we were lucky enough to recruit more GPs, the current building simply has no space to accommodate them.
This is why the movement between practices causes problems. When multiple patients decide to switch from one practice to another, it makes the lists unstable. This then pushes more patients into triage systems, or delays access, as registrations are redistributed and processed, which puts all three practices under extra pressure.
For this reason, we are asking patients to avoid “practice-hopping”. We completely respect that patients have the right to choose their GP, but constant switching, and an ever increasing list size, causes real strain and affects the quality of service for everyone.
If Stanley Court becomes overwhelmed with additional registrations, we will be forced to move to an online triage-first system that a number of practices are already doing in West Lancs. This would naturally reduce the number of face-to-face appointments available, simply because demand would exceed what we can safely provide.
We appreciate your understanding and support as we work to keep services safe, accessible, and effective for everyone in Burscough.
The Stanley Court Partners.
