Northern Ireland

Health minister praises sibling-run GP surgery in Crossmaglen

Drs Kevin and Brid Allen were awarded £115,000 funding to expand services at Rathkeeland House Surgery in south Armagh

Health Minister Mike Nesbitt with Rathkeeland House Surgery partners Drs Kevin and Brid Allen and their parents, Dr Mary Allen and Mr Paddy Allen. PICTURE: DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
Health Minister Mike Nesbitt with Rathkeeland House Surgery partners Drs Kevin and Brid Allen and their parents, Dr Mary Allen and Mr Paddy Allen. PICTURE: DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
By Allan Preston

A GP surgery run by sibling doctors in Crossmaglen has been praised by the health minister for its commitment to the rural community in south Armagh.

Doctors Kevin and Brid Allen have served as partners in Rathkeeland House Surgery for the last eight years.

Their choice of profession is no surprise with their mother Mary having worked as a GP in Crossmaglen and their other siblings including a gastroenterology consultant, an emergency medicine consultant and a social worker.

Rathkeeland Surgery has over 4,500 patients on their books and has received £115,000 worth of investment from the Department of Health to expand their premises.

This will facilitate a multidisciplinary team (MDT) including a social worker, social work assistant and a physiotherapist.

The team will also include a pharmacist and mental health practitioner, with the refurbishment upgrading consultation rooms to hospital standards.

During a visit to the premises, Mike Nesbitt said: “I was delighted to accept the invitation to visit Rathkeeland House Surgery to meet the partners and their team, and to see the improved facilities and services available for patients. I was deeply impressed by the warmth, energy, knowledge and professionalism on show.

“The Allen family is steeped in the ethos of caring for others and is both well-known and highly regarded here in south Armagh and further afield.”

Health Minister Mike Nesbitt with GPs, practice staff and family members at Rathkeeland House Surgery, Crossmaglen. PICTURE: DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
Health Minister Mike Nesbitt with GPs, practice staff and family members at Rathkeeland House Surgery, Crossmaglen. PICTURE: DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH

He added that he was “inspired” by their devotion to the community despite the “severe challenges” facing general practice across Northern Ireland.

The Minister said he would continue to address workforce and workload challenges, including the recently agreed 2024/25 General Medical Services (GMS) contract which he called “an important step forward” in achieving greater stability in general practice.

“We are building the GP workforce through the Attract, Recruit and Retain Scheme, the GP Retainer Scheme and the GP Induction and Refresher Scheme, and have increased the number of GP training places to the current level of 121,” he said.

“We are also taking steps to increase the range of healthcare professionals working in primary care through the roll out of MDTs.”

As well as being GPs, Kevin and Brid tutor medical students from Queen’s University Belfast, with Kevin acting as lead GP for Social Workers in the Southern Federation Support Unit MDT in Newry and District.

“All GPs are experiencing intense pressures and those in rural areas are really struggling in terms of recruitment and workload,” Kevin said.

“We welcome this opportunity to engage directly with the Health Minister and to show him that, despite the difficulties of sustaining services here in the most southerly practice in Northern Ireland, we continue to expand services and enhance facilities for our patients who are at the heart of everything we do.”