Reasons for patient removals: Results of a survey of 1005 GPs in Northern Ireland

There has been considerable debate on the issue of general practitioners (GPs) removing patients from their lists. The second report of the Health Service Ombudsman addressed this area in some detail and, among other observations, commented on the lack of information available on this subject. This is a report on a questionnaire survey of GPs, aimed at finding out their reasons for removing patients and their feeling about the changes that have been proposed regarding their automatic right to remove patients without giving them a reason.