Seven years on since the North Wales Local Medical Committee came to the Assembly warning that General Practice in North Wales was in crisis, North Wales MS Mark Isherwood has highlighted the problems patients in the region are still experiencing in accessing GP services and asked the Health Minister what engagement she is having with the relevant professional bodies in order to tackle the problem.
Raising the matter with the Minister, Eluned Morgan MS, in yesterday’s meeting of the Welsh Parliament, Mr Isherwood said:
“I was copied on a patient’s email to Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board last week complaining that a lack of permanent GPs at St. Mark’s Surgery in Connah’s Quay “is now causing major problems as unable to book an appointment to see a doctor”.
“They had tried to get through to the switchboard from 8 am on June 22nd, 23rd and 24th, and on each occasion were kept waiting for 45 minutes before being told that no appointments were left.
“On the 28th June a voicemail said the surgery was closed.
“Responding to me, the Health Board stated “The root of the problem was the unexpected sickness of the two GPs due to be physically present, and on duty, on Monday”, adding that “this was the consequence of unplanned sickness” and that “this is now subject to the intervention of the Area team to ensure the situation does not recur”.
“However, this did not address the problem identified before 28th June, and similar problems are being raised by constituents who are patients at other GP Practices.
“What engagement are you now therefore having or planning with the relevant professional bodies, where it is now 9 years since both BMA Cymru and the Royal College of General Practitioners Wales first launched campaigns warning of a ticking timebomb, and 7 years since the North Wales Local Medical Committee came to the Assembly warning that General Practice in North Wales was in crisis?”
In her response, the Minister referred to the standards introduced in 2019 that GPs need to respond to, stating “we do have measures and ways of trying to interact and engage, and we will be doing that in the next few weeks, with general medical services, to make sure that we can drive up access for our patients around the whole of Wales.”
However, the latest figures have revealed that only 58 out of the 97 GP practices in North Wales achieved the standards.
Speaking outside the meeting, Mr Isherwood therefore added:
“The reality behind the Minister’s protestations is revealed in the latest figures, which show that only 58 out of 97 GP practices in North Wales achieved General Medical Services (GMS) ‘In Hours Access Standards’, just 59.8%, and that one in three telephone calls to surgeries in North Wales seem to be going unanswered. This shocking situation is reflected in the experience of constituents after years in which the Welsh Government dismissed warnings from those actually delivering GP services in our communities.”
