Patients in Maryport may not see their doctor as often as they did in the future.

Following a meeting last Thursday, practice manager, Sarah Cousins, said the challenge now is to ensure that patient needs are still at the forefront while the surgery’s budget is cut by the equivalent of one-and-a-half doctors.

She said: "There are other practices in the country the same size as us operating with the same budget. But in those, patients see a doctor only if it is really necessary." 

She said last week’s meeting has not provided immediate answers but has focused the practice on the critical areas.

The first is planned and urgent care.

She said: "We will look at a triage service where patients can be assessed and then seen by the right person. This might mean a mix of skills in the practice team – perhaps nurse practitioners, paramedics, specialist nurses as well as the doctors. We need to make sure the patient is seen by the right person at the right time."

She said people might also be encouraged to use their pharmacists more for minor ailments.

Maryport Health Services has 23 clinical rooms and she said the surgery would look at how it could best use the building. 

She said the practice would now look at how to turn these aims into reality.