One in four GP practices gone as Mid and East Antrim surgeries take on thousands more patients

GP practices across Mid and East Antrim are now caring for thousands more patients than they were a decade ago after the borough lost one in four surgeries, new official figures reveal.

New General Medical Services statistics published by the Business Services Organisation and NISRA show the number of GP practices in Mid and East Antrim has fallen from 28 in 2014 to 21 in 2026 — a reduction of 25 per cent.

Yet during the same period, the number of registered patients increased from 139,184 to 148,754.

The result is a dramatic increase in the workload being carried by the remaining practices, with the average surgery now responsible for 7,084 patients compared with 4,971 in 2014.

That represents a 42.5 per cent increase in average practice size over just 12 years.

The figures reveal one of the most significant changes in local healthcare delivery in a generation, with fewer practices now serving larger patient populations across Ballymena and the wider borough.

Mid and East Antrim stands out across Northern Ireland

While GP practice numbers have fallen across Northern Ireland, Mid and East Antrim experienced a significantly steeper decline than neighbouring council areas.

The latest figures show:

• Mid and East Antrim practices fell by 25%

• Northern Ireland practices fell by 13.1%

• Antrim and Newtownabbey practices fell by 5.9%

• Causeway Coast and Glens practices fell by 4%

In other words, Mid and East Antrim’s reduction in GP practice numbers was almost double the Northern Ireland average and more than four times greater than that recorded in Antrim and Newtownabbey.

Despite that reduction, patient numbers continued to rise.

Between 2014 and 2026:

• Mid and East Antrim patient registrations increased by 6.9%

• Antrim and Newtownabbey registrations increased by 11.3%

• Causeway Coast and Glens registrations increased by 5.7%

• Northern Ireland registrations increased by 8%

The statistics point to a healthcare system increasingly relying on larger practices to absorb growing demand.

The numbers behind the transformation

The scale of change becomes even clearer when average patient lists are examined.

In 2014, the average Mid and East Antrim practice cared for 4,971 patients.

By 2026, that figure had risen to 7,084.

Across Northern Ireland, average practice size increased from around 5,500 patients to 6,838 patients over the same period — a rise of 24.3 per cent.

Mid and East Antrim therefore experienced a substantially faster increase in average patient load than Northern Ireland overall.

Current average practice sizes across the three main local council areas are:

• Antrim and Newtownabbey — 8,698 patients per practice

• Mid and East Antrim — 7,084 patients per practice

• Causeway Coast and Glens — 6,384 patients per practice

• Northern Ireland average — 6,838 patients per practice

Although Antrim and Newtownabbey now has the largest average practice size locally, Mid and East Antrim has undergone the most significant structural change over the last decade.

More than two million patients registered across Northern Ireland

The wider Northern Ireland figures show there are now 2,078,635 registered patients served by 304 GP practices.

In 2014, there were 350 practices serving around 1.92 million registered patients.

While practice numbers have fallen by 46 across Northern Ireland, the number of registered patients has continued to increase.

The latest council area totals show:

• Mid and East Antrim — 148,754 patients across 21 practices

• Antrim and Newtownabbey — 139,169 patients across 16 practices

• Causeway Coast and Glens — 153,205 patients across 24 practices

Causeway Coast and Glens currently has the largest registered patient population among the three council areas examined, while Mid and East Antrim operates with fewer practices despite serving a broadly comparable number of patients.

GP numbers rise but questions remain over capacity

The statistics show GP headcount has increased both locally and regionally.

Mid and East Antrim now has 136 GPs, up 54.5 per cent since 2014.

That increase is significantly higher than the Northern Ireland average rise of 27.5 per cent.

The borough now has 91.4 GPs per 100,000 registered patients compared with the Northern Ireland average of 72.4.

However, GP leaders have cautioned against assuming those figures automatically translate into increased appointment availability.

RCGP warns funding is moving in the wrong direction

Responding to the publication, RCGP NI Chair Dr Ursula Mason said the figures reflected “a deeply concerning picture for general practice and a reality that GPs and their teams are all too familiar with”.

She said funding for GP practices had increased by just £2 per patient since 2024 — around a one per cent rise — despite inflation running at closer to three per cent.

“Once again, this means GPs are being asked to do more for patients with fewer real resources,” she said.

“The cost of delivering services continues to rise in real terms, this minimal uplift represents a real-terms squeeze on already stretched practices.

“This meagre increase falls well short of what’s needed and does not move us closer to a fairer share of the healthcare budget for general practice.”

Dr Mason also warned that headline workforce figures may overstate actual capacity because they are based on headcount rather than whole-time equivalent staffing.

“At the same time, although the statistics show that GP headcount has increased, this does not reflect the full reality on the ground,” she said.

“These figures are based on headcount rather than whole-time equivalent (WTE), meaning they do not account for changing GP working patterns, and therefore risk overstating the capacity available to patients.”

She added:

“Without a significant and sustained uplift in investment, the gap between demand and capacity for GP services will continue to widen, placing further strain on patients, GPs and the wider health and social care system.”

A healthcare system increasingly relying on fewer front doors

Despite the reduction in practice numbers, access to GP services remains geographically widespread, with 97.7 per cent of Northern Ireland’s population living within five miles of a GP practice.

But the latest figures reveal a profound shift in how primary care is organised.

Across Mid and East Antrim, the story of the past decade is not simply one of rising patient numbers or falling practice numbers in isolation. It is the combination of both trends happening at the same time.

The borough now has seven fewer GP practices than it did in 2014, yet those remaining surgeries are collectively caring for 9,570 more registered patients and handling average patient lists that are 42.5 per cent larger than they were 12 years ago.

The data suggests the future of local primary care is increasingly being shaped by fewer practices carrying a greater share of the workload.