BETSI Cadwaladr University Health Board has responded after criticism of its decision to defer a new West Conwy GP and Health Centre until 2028/29 and send the allocated funds back to Welsh Government.
At a Conwy County Council meeting this week, Cllr Cheryl Carlisle slammed the health board as an “utter disgrace” after it said the new health centre had been put on hold.
The health hub was originally planned in early discussions for Ysgol Nant y Coed in Llandudno Junction, but that site has now been proposed for affordable housing.
A new site is yet to be agreed, and the amount of funds returned to Welsh Government remain unknown.
The hub would have served Conwy, Llandudno Junction, and the wider area, at a time when many are struggling to get a GP appointment.
But the health board announced in a report discussed at a board meeting last week that the “Strategic Outline Case (SOC) approved by WG (Welsh Government) in 2023″ would be “deferred until 2028–2029”.
The same report stated this was due to a “prioritisation exercise” with “funding returned to WG”, but no further details were given.
According to the papers, similar community health hubs planned for Bangor, Caledryn, Holyhead, Penygroes, Rhyl, Waunfawr, and Porthmadog are all at various stages of development. Rhyl’s Royal Alexandra Well-Being Hub, though, remains “not approved at this stage”.
A spokesman for Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board [BCUHB] has now defended the decision to defer the plans and return the funds.
“The health board undertook a prioritisation exercise earlier in 2025 to ensure the programme and resources for the Integrated Rebalancing Capital Fund (IRCF) programme were sustainable,” he said.
“This meant the timescales of some projects were revised. In respect of the Conwy West development, this allows time to review the sites and services to best meet the demands of the local population.
“BCUHB remains committed to a development in Conwy West area and remains in dialogue with Conwy County Borough Council around options and alternatives.”
He added: “Capital funding is allocated annually. Where projects do not progress within a financial year, unspent allocations are routinely returned. Totals are then revised as part of normal financial processes.”
Earlier this week, Cllr Carlisle branded the health board an “utter disgrace” after they “shelved” the plans, criticising the decision to send the money back to Welsh Government.
She added: “We all know the pressures our GPs and health professionals are working under here in Conwy, and the fact that they have done this beggars belief, Betsi Cadwaladr letting the people of Conwy down again.”
