Health chiefs are urging patients at Ballasalla Medical Centre not to leave the practice.

There’s a question mark over the centre because the GPs there have given notice to quit.

At the weekend, the chief executive of Manx Care, Teresa Cope, said that Manx Care would take over the practice itself if no other solution could be found.

Manx Care says current patients should re-register elsewhere only if they have received a letter asking them to do so.

Ballasalla Medical Centre wrote to some of its patients earlier this year notifying them that they live outside of the practice’s catchment area and requesting that they re-register at a practice within their catchment area.

People who received one of these letters should re-register at a different practice.

Following the news that the centre plans to formally hand back its contract at the end of July, Manx Care is working with the practice to consider all of the options available in order to secure the future provision of GP services to the patients currently being served by the practice, as well as those who live within the catchment area for the practice.

Current patients of Ballasalla Medical Centre who have not received a letter should take no action at this time.

A Manx Care spokesman said: ‘We appreciate that the current patients of Ballasalla Medical Centre may currently be feeling some uncertainty, however patients will continue to be able to access their GP services as usual.

‘We would ask that patients who have not received a “catchment area” letter do not try to register with another practice at this time, as this will cause a number of issues for the other GP practices in the south of the island.

‘Plans are being put in place to support patients going forward and we will communicate more on these in due course.’

Ballasalla Medical Centre is not taking on any new patients at the current time.

Anyone who is concerned about this news can contact the Manx Care Advice and Liaison Service Team via email [email protected] or on the phone (642642).