Politician visits surgery to hear about the problems facing GPs
Montgomeryshire MS Russell George has thrown his support behind a campaign to 'save general practice in Wales'.
Mr George claims that more GP surgeries could disappear without further support from the Welsh Government.
The British Medical Association Cymru (BMA) has launched a campaign called ‘Save Our Surgeries’ with four key recommendations.
The Save Our Surgeries report shows that there are just 2,324 GPs in Wales with only 1,445 working full-time - and over a quarter are planning to leave the profession in the near future according to the BMA’s latest survey. The BMA entered into negotiations with the Welsh Government but contract negotiations between the Welsh Government, NHS Wales and BMA Cymru Wales’s GP Committee ended in October without a resolution.
Mr George raised the Save Our Surgeries campaign with the health minister, Eluned Morgan in the Welsh Parliament. Mr George also raised the fact that he was due to visit Newtown Medical Practice to discuss this exact campaign as well as the current pressures.
After raising the issues facing GPs in the Senedd, Mr George then visited Dr Rebekha Price at Newtown Medical Practice to meet with her and colleagues to discuss the current issues facing GPs and the wider campaign.
Speaking after the visit, Mr George said: "I am grateful to Dr Price for inviting me to visit her practice and to talk in detail with her staff, so that I can have an on-the-ground understanding of the pressure general practice are facing.
"The Welsh Government's Health Minister has not matched the UK Government's pay offer for doctors, which is at least 20 per cent higher for most healthcare staff. This becomes even more disappointing when we recognise that Wales has for a long time received £1.20 for every £1 spent in England.
"I back BMA Cymru's four-point plan, the Save Our Surgeries campaign lays bare the impact of long-term underinvestment in general practice and its consequent impacts upon workload, workforce and wellbeing.
"The Welsh Government must get back around the negotiating table and commit to a rescue package that backs GPs and their patients with the correct level of support or we will see the current crisis worsening in Wales, with no end in sight."
