Health board progress on town’s GP ‘crisis’

Health board chiefs say that progress is ongoing to solve a town’s GP “crisis,” confirming that a specialist health centre remains a long-term aim.
The loss of doctors saw the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board recently take over two of Holyhead’s three GP surgeries, reportedly leaving residents with “nowhere to turn”.
Concerns over the current arrangements has led to two public meetings over recent weeks after many residents were left having to rely on out of hours services at Ysbyty Gwynedd, with one county councillor claiming that “people could die” unless action is taken.
The taking over of  Longford House and Cambria GP practices currently leaves Victoria Surgery as the only stand-alone surgery in the town.
But in a letter to the island’s AM, Betsi’s Chief Executive has now confirmed that clinical lead GPs have now been appointed on top of two south Gwynedd-based salaried GPs already deployed to Holyhead to provide some cover.
Gary Doherty’s letter also confirmed the board’s decision to merge the practices while maintaining both sites, with a specialist health centre for Holyhead remaining a longer-term ambition.
“In the longer term, we recognise that a new, integrated health and social care centre Holyhead would provide a basis for an extended range of services to be co-located in a modern facility in the town,” he wrote.
“Preliminary discussions have taken place with Anglesey Council about potential sites and scope for joint working to achieve this. However, given the timescales for planning and constructing such centres, it is likely to be a few years before this can be achieved.”
His letter went on to note, “We are already progressing actions to strengthen clinical care in the practices and have arranged for two of our salaried GPs working in Dwyfor to provide some cover in Holyhead.
“We have also, this week, appointed clinical lead GPs for the two practices and additional physiotherapy and pharmacy support will shortly be in place.”
Welcoming the development, Rhun ap Iorwerth also thanked local residents for their input.
He said: “The responses I’ve received from the health board show that it was very, very useful to have that public meeting, and the way that residents spoke, raising their concerns in a serious, measured way, that I was then able to pass on to the health board, was worthwhile.
 “What we have is an explanation of the steps being taken now to recruit doctors in the immediate future, as well as plans for the near future, and a vision for a new, modern vision for primary care in Holyhead and the surrounding area in the longer term.
 “The truth of the matter is that this is an issue that should never have been allowed to come to fruition. Labour have been running the NHS in Wales for 20 years now and it is their lack of urgency, their lack of action, that has led us to this point.
“I look forward to meeting health board officials in the new year to press them further for action.”

By Gareth Williams – Local Democracy Reporter