Doctors have warned of “dangerous” staffing levels and “potentially catastrophic” supply shortages at practices supported by a GP management company.
Some local doctors have refused to work at Welsh practices linked to eHarley Street, because they say they are collectively owed nearly £250,000 in wages.
A long-standing doctor also told BBC Wales that he had seen worrying hygiene issues, and Aneurin Beven Health Board in south-east Wales said it was “aware of concerns about the GP partnership”.
But eHarley Street — whose website said it was “putting joy into common practice” — categorically denied those claims.
Speaking on a recent day, Dr Mark Wells, clinical lead at Brynmawr Medical Practice in Blaenau Gwent, said: “I was the only GP – for a practice of 11,000 patients.”
He said the surgery should be equivalent to five GPs.
He said locums – who temporarily fill the GP rota – “are basically refusing to work because they know they’re not being paid”.
He described staffing levels as “dangerous” and said the surgery had previously closed due to a shortage of clinicians.
“I had a total of 50 patient contacts – if there was an urgent call it would have been impossible for me to handle.”
Brynmawr is contracted by the health board to two GPs, and the same two GPs run eHarley Street.
Staff at the surgery said they had been told a “central management team” at eHarley Street would look after HR, finance and book locum doctors.
“There is no guarantee of payment,” said Dr Samantha Jenkins, who is owed more than £10,000 after working at Blaenone Medical Practice, Torfan and Bryn Mawr Medical Practice.
Dr Jenkins said he was told to deliver his receipts, which have been seen by BBC Wales, to E Harley Street.
He said doctors are now refusing to work.
“We have families and houses and mortgages,” she said.
Dr Jenkins said the Blaenone practice had limited oxygen available “for a number of weeks”, which he said was a “huge patient safety issue”.
“It’s potentially catastrophic if you’re in an emergency situation,” he said.
Attached to Harley Street are the Welsh surgeries Brynmawr Medical Practice; Blaineon Medical Practice; Pontypool Medical Centre; Bryntirion Surgery, Bargoed; Tredegar Health Centre; Eberbeg Medical Practice; Gelligaer Surgery, Hengoed; Corporation Road Surgery, Cardiff, and Leisure Medical Centre, Newport.
BBC Wales understands that at least 37 doctors are affected.
Dr Ian Jones, who also worked at the Brynmawr practice, said he was owed more than £2,000, and BBC Wales has seen correspondence between him and eHarley Street about the money.
Two other doctors, Dr Hussain and Dr Khan – who only wanted to use their surname – worked at Lillesory Medical Center in Newport, and said they were owed £20,000 each for locum work.
Dr Hussain, a doctor for 25 years, was concerned about the services provided to patients.
“I feel very, very, very sorry for my patients,” he said. “They are not providing the required appointments and services,” he added.
Dr Hussain said he understood that eHarley Street was performing surgery on a daily basis.
What does eHarley Street do?
The company’s website says it is “bringing joy back into general practice”.
It says it offers “practice management solutions” to GPs and its “team of experts” believes in “liberating” medical professionals from “administrative burdens” to “deliver superior patient care”. Quality” can be provided.
Each Welsh GP surgery is contracted to individual GPs, but all nine in Wales are featured on the “Our practices” page of the company’s website. The company also supports 15 practices in England.
Almost all Welsh practices are in the Aneurin Bevan University Health Board area, and there is one in Cardiff.
BBC Wales has seen correspondence from a medical supply company that suspended its E-Harley Street accounts “due to recurring invoices”.
“The lack of communication is terrible,” said Simon Juniper, who works for a company that provides locum doctors for surgeries.
He said his business stopped supplying locums to Welsh surgeries supported by E Harley Street because they owed them £25,000.
GPs contracted to run the surgeries said they had faced financial “challenges”, and that some local payments had been “delayed”, but would be settled.
Brynmawr medical practice manager Amy McChrystal said the “biggest selling point” about eHarley Street was its central management team where “support around rotas and booking locums can be managed”.
But he said some staff are still waiting for their October payslips, and the waste bill hasn’t been paid, and there are prescription concerns.
“People are going to the chemist and asking for emergency supplies of drugs because they couldn’t get their scripts from us in time,” he said.
BBC Wales has also been told there are difficulties getting supplies such as wound packs and speculums, and that clinics have been cancelled, causing a backlog of patients. .
Ms McChrystal said staff had raised concerns with the health board, and visited the headquarters of eHarley Street in Leicestershire.
‘Health profits in private pockets’
Plaid Cymru Member of the Senedd (MS) Heledd Fychan expressed concern about eHarley Street in a recent Senedd debate, saying that large firms are “starting to enter the market for GP services, buying and running many surgeries. are”, with eHarley Street. “A clear example”.
“This continues with the pernicious trend of diverting profits from the health system into private pockets, and also weakens its provision,” he said.
BBC Wales has learned that local GPs bid for the Brynmawr medical practice contract, but were rejected by the health board.
Dr Siddiqur Rahman, from Cardiff, who has been a doctor for 25 years, said he had never known a situation like this, and was owed £1,850.
He has worked at Blaenavon, Brynterreon, Lillesurry, Tredegar and Aberbeg practices, and said he had to dispose of waste in Blaenavon himself.
“We had to take the can out and wrap it in a plastic carrier bag and put it in the waste disposal area – which was very full,” Dr Rehman said. “If medical waste is not being disposed of, it’s a hygiene issue.”
What does eHarley Street say about complaints?
In a statement from its lawyers, eHarley Street said it did not have a contract for General Medical Services (GMS) in Wales, but that the three partners had “multiple contracts” for surgeries which were “complaints”. can be the subject.”
It said: “General practice operations – currently under significant financial pressure,” and that “surgeries run by partners have faced similar challenges”.
“While some local payments have been regrettably delayed, the majority have been settled, and partners are confident that no outstanding payments will remain.”
It said the Aneurin Bayonne University Health Board “undertook prompt assurance meetings and practice visits” and found the surgeries were “operating within the parameters of the GMS agreement, patient safety, health and safety, staffing levels , or no resource concerns have been identified”. .
“The partners strongly believe that many of the allegations are made by two disgruntled employees, without any objective basis or verification.”
A spokesman for the health board said it had “no GMS contracts with e-Harley Street Primary Care Solutions” and that all such contracts were with “designated individual GPs”.
The board said: “We are aware of concerns about GP partnerships in the health board area and are meeting regularly with GP partners to ensure they are working in accordance with their contractual obligations.” .
“We recognize the high demand for primary care services across the country, and experience this here too… We look forward to working with our GP partnerships to deliver sustainable and reliable services for our population and We are committed to supporting him.”