TWO out of the three out-of-hours GP services operating in one health board area are likely to be closed this weekend because of a shortage of family doctors.
Urgent medical care services in NHS Lanarkshire are usually provided at Wishaw General Hospital, Monklands Hospital and Hairmyres Hospital.
But Dr Chris Mackintosh, Associate Medical Director Primary Care, said the service had "frequently" been reduced from three centres to one in recent weeks and it was likely to be operating at only one site this weekend.
And with January and February the busiest time for the service, he warned that the board "could not" afford to go through another winter with the service operating as it is now.
Dr Mackintosh said: "The service is frequently having to change from three centres to two centre and over the coming weekend they may well be down to one centre.
"It is not something that we can hang around contemplating and looking at different discussions for the next six or nine months. We have got to press on and find something that is workable and is attractive to everyone to come and work for it.
"We certainly can't go into another winter without a substantive change."
In November NHS Lanarkshire categorised services as 'red' in the corporate risk register - the highest possible rating.
A three-month consultation has been launched which aims to centralise services at either Douglas Street Community Health Clinic in Hamilton, or two primary care out-of-hours centres, one in Airdrie Community Health Centre and the one in Hamilton.
More than 160 responses have been received so far.
MSPs and MPs met with the board yesterday to question medics over the proposals and concern was expressed about the distances some patients will face to receive urgent care.
Clydesdale MSP Aileen Campbell has dismissed the consultation as "worthless" to her constituents because those seeking medical help face either a trip to Hamilton or to Airdrie.
Dr Mackintosh said: "The first thing about delivering a safe service is to provide a deliverable service and the difficulty has been in getting doctors primarily but also nurses and drivers into a services to run it.
"The number one thing is safety and both the options will be safe."
The formal consultation follows an extensive review over the past year.
On average, the service sees about 1,500 people each week at its out-of-hours centres, carries out 300 home visits and provides phone advice to 177 patients.
The two previous satellite centres at Central Health Centre, Cumbernauld, and Lanark Health Centre have not been open since June 2014 because of shortages.
GP surgeries were asked to open on Saturday mornings over Christmas and New Year to relieve strain on the service.
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