Senedd Member for Preseli Pembrokeshire Paul Davies has raised the future of St David’s surgery in the Senedd Chamber and called on Wales’ First Minister to join him in standing up for the local community.
Mr Davies explained that around 3000 patients are going to be dispersed to practices further afield under the Health Board’s current plans, including elderly patients and those with limited travel options.
Mr Davies then asked First Minister Eluned Morgan, who is also the Regional Member for Mid and West Wales, to intervene on behalf of the local community, challenge the local Health Board and help ensure residents can continue to receive GP services in their local community in the future.
Mr Davies said: “It’s wholly unacceptable that residents living in St David’s will have to travel further for vital GP services and so I’m calling on the Welsh Government to use its powers and intervene before it’s too late.
“The local community is rightly upset and frustrated and it’s vital that the Health Board’s decision is challenged and a better way of delivering primary care services in the area is found.”
“If these plans go ahead, a Welsh city will lose its GP service on this First Minister’s watch and I wanted to give the First Minister the opportunity to work together on behalf of the people of St Davids.
“There should be no stone left unturned in trying to ensure GP services can still be delivered in St David’s and it was disappointing that the First Minister was not willing to work together on the community’s behalf.”
Mr Davies explained that around 3000 patients are going to be dispersed to practices further afield under the Health Board’s current plans, including elderly patients and those with limited travel options.
Mr Davies then asked First Minister Eluned Morgan, who is also the Regional Member for Mid and West Wales, to intervene on behalf of the local community, challenge the local Health Board and help ensure residents can continue to receive GP services in their local community in the future.
Mr Davies said: “It’s wholly unacceptable that residents living in St David’s will have to travel further for vital GP services and so I’m calling on the Welsh Government to use its powers and intervene before it’s too late.
“The local community is rightly upset and frustrated and it’s vital that the Health Board’s decision is challenged and a better way of delivering primary care services in the area is found.”
“If these plans go ahead, a Welsh city will lose its GP service on this First Minister’s watch and I wanted to give the First Minister the opportunity to work together on behalf of the people of St Davids.
“There should be no stone left unturned in trying to ensure GP services can still be delivered in St David’s and it was disappointing that the First Minister was not willing to work together on the community’s behalf.”
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00to close St David's surgery and disperse around 3,000 patients to practices further afield.
00:07This includes elderly patients and those with limited travel options who will now no longer
00:12be able to access local medical care.
00:14Now, youíll be aware of the public meeting recently held where over 150 people met to
00:20discuss how best to appeal against the health boardís decision and even discuss the possibility
00:26of buying the current surgery building as a community asset.
00:30Iím sure youíll agree with me itís not acceptable that the city of St Davidís will
00:34no longer have access to a local GP surgery, and the community is right to call on the
00:40Welsh Government to intervene, given it has the power to do so.
00:44So, therefore, First Minister, will you join me and, together, stand up for the people
00:49of St Davidís and fight against the health boardís plan so that residents can continue
00:54to receive GP services in their local community?
00:57They deserve no less.
00:59Carwyn Jones AM Well, thanks very much, and I obviously have
01:02to declare an interest in relation to this surgery, because it serves many members of
01:07my family.
01:09The decision on what happens in relation to how health is organised is one for the health
01:16board, and there are established procedures for handling proposals for changes to delivery
01:22of those local services.
01:23So, we know that the St Davidís surgery notified Hywel Dda University Local Health Board in
01:29April of the intention to hand back that contract.
01:35Services are due to end in October.
01:37I know that the health board carried out engagement with residents about the future of services,
01:42because I was there, and it is important, though, to know that SAIS was engaged throughout
01:49that process.
01:51It's not just about a building, so buying a building is not just what it's about.
01:56You've actually got to staff these places, and attracting people to work in those surgeriesówe
02:05need to put significant additional sums of money on the table.
02:09Part of the reason for handing back that contract was because it was difficult to get people
02:14to work in that surgery.
02:17I know that the plan is to establish and to keep in St Davidís a nurse-led service,
02:23and I think that will be important for, in particular, the elderly in that area.