MEMBER of the Senedd for the Vale of Clwyd, Gareth Davies MS, has written to the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, Jeremy Miles, to raise concerns about the growing difficulties patients face in accessing GP services in North Wales.
In his letter, he highlights that across Wales, the number of GP surgeries has fallen from 474 in 2012 to 374 today, while the number of full-time equivalent GPs has decreased by around 25%. At the same time, the average number of patients each GP cares for has risen by 38%, from 1,719 to 2,375.
The Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board remains in special measures and continues to highlight capacity challenges. In Prestatyn, surgeries have previously issued public messages about limited in-surgery capacity, reflecting the pressure being felt locally.
Mr Davies stated that older residents in particular have reported barriers in accessing their GP by telephone, and there remains inconsistency in how practices triage patients, with some doing this digitally, but some practices still manually triage which can lead to further delays. He also added that whilst the opening of the new North Wales Medical School offers hope for the longer term, questions remain over what can be done now to improve day-to-day access.
In his letter, Mr Davies has asked the Cabinet Secretary what action the Welsh Government is taking to address falling GP numbers, how the new Access Commitment is being implemented and monitored in Denbighshire, what support is being provided to practices facing capacity pressures, and how patient experience is being measured and improved.
Commenting, Gareth Davies MS said: “I regularly hear from constituents who are struggling to secure a GP appointment, with fewer surgeries, fewer doctors, and more patients per GP, a situation that is deeply troubling for communities across North Wales.
“North Wales needs more General Practitioners, yet progress on recruitment and retention has been far too slow, leaving both patients and existing staff under immense pressure.
“We urgently need clarity from the Welsh Government on how it will support local practices to ensure that we have adequate general practice provision for the population, ensuring patients are able to book an appointment in a reasonable time, and GPs are not overworked.”
