CONCERN has been expressed over plans to close down a service dedicated to looking after care home residents in Scotland's biggest city.

GPs are to be invited to take over the work after The Nursing Homes Medical Practice (NHMP) in Glasgow is wound up in April by the city's health board. It is understood the four GPs who work for the dedicated practice, who are employed directly by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, face being redeployed.

But one of them, Dr Michael Adamson has expressed concern about what would happen to his patients and said he felt the quality of care provided by the service had been ignored by the health board.

He said: "We were the first nursing homes medical practice in the whole of the UK and it is tragic that it is being done away with."

However, NHS GGC said their plans for the future would "create a standard and equitable service" to nursing home residents across Greater Glasgow and Clyde.

The practice was set up 11 years ago before the Clyde area was incorporated into the remit of NHS Greater Glasgow. It now employs four GPs.

With the help of some traditional GPs, described as "assisting practices," the service concentrated purely on the needs of nursing home residents in the Greater Glasgow patch.

NHS GGC stressed the changes they were making would not save any money.

A spokesman said: "The new Local Enhanced Service (LES) will be underpinned by a set of service standards that will ensure that all residents across the health board area receive the same high-quality service."