Fear for GP surgery's future as contract abandoned

St Davids Surgery in Pembrokeshire is the fourth in the health board area to hand back its contract since 2022

Some residents in Wales' smallest city are worried about how far they will have to travel for medical appointments as the future of a GP practice is called into question.

St Davids Surgery in Pembrokeshire is the fourth surgery under Hywel Dda health board where the contract has been handed back since 2022.

The GP partner who was running the practice, which has 2,700 registered patients, has given it back to the health board.

Hywel Dda said the practice would continue providing its usual care until the end of October while a decision was made about the future.

It advised patients to remain registered with the practice while long-term plans were developed.

John George, 88, has lived in the area most of his life and recently experienced a similar situation at his own practice in Solva.

“What’s going to happen to St Davids?” he said.

“What about the elderly and the people who are ill? People who don’t have a car, there aren’t many buses at the moment.

"Where are they going to go?”

He added it was a 15-mile trip to either Haverfordwest or Fishguard surgeries, the next nearest.

The decision to resign the contract was made by the single GP partner at St Davids.

The practice joins Neyland and Johnston, Solva, and Cross Hands and Tumble in returning responsibility to the heath board.

John George, 88, is worried about how older people and those without cars will reach their nearest GP practice

Paul Davies, Member of the Senedd for Preseli Pembrokeshire, said the community needed reassurance they will still have access to GPs.

“We don’t want the community of St Davids going through exactly the same thing [as Solva],” he said.

“That is why it’s important now that we see the health board plan ahead.”

Jill Paterson of Hywel Dda said the health board would “be working closely with St Davids Surgery and the wider cluster to find the best way to secure services for patients”.

She added: “We very much appreciate the continuing support given by the community to the team at St Davids Surgery throughout this challenging period.”

The board will write to all registered patients to inform them of the situation.

The health board says it will continue to provide the surgery's usual care until October 2024, by which time a decision about the future will be made

Dr Gareth Oelmann, chair of the Welsh GPs Committee, said the news “comes as no surprise” and “follows a pattern we have seen over the last 10 years”.

“We call upon the Welsh government to recognize the gravity of the situation and to act decisively. Investment in general practice is a commitment to the health and wellbeing of every citizen,” he said

The Welsh government said that across the UK there was “a shift towards larger GP practices, with a wider mix of professionals in one setting, providing a greater range of services”.

It added: “The number of GPs in Wales remains steady, with an increase in wider practice staff in recent years, and the current recruitment target of 160 new GP trainees each year is consistently being exceeded.

“We are working to reduce pressure on GPs… [and] we will continue to work with BMA Cymru Wales on solutions to sustainability issues in general practice.”