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Posted: Sun 13th Jul 2025
Updated: Sun 13th Jul
Sam Rowlands, Member of the Senedd for North Wales, has called for urgent action to prioritise GP services in North-East Wales amid concerns over closures and reduced access.
Mr Rowlands, who has repeatedly raised the issue of retaining and recruiting GPs in the region, questioned Jeremy Miles, Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Services, about the Welsh Government’s assessment of GP access in North-East Wales during a recent Senedd session.
He said: “The fact that more than 100 GP surgeries have shut across Wales since 2012 is one that should deeply concern every Member here. It has a terrible impact on the health and well-being of our constituents.
“This is no different in North-East Wales. Residents in Gwersyllt recently told me that they have a lack of adequate GP services, making them less healthy, and they recognise that they’re putting pressure on emergency services and hospitals, especially at the Maelor in Wrexham.
“A recent comprehensive review by University of Southampton found that patients have a strong preference for direct consultations with a GP, with an emphasis on in-person appointments.
“Given this patient preference and the outsized impact that a good GP service has on reducing pressures at the hospital front door, how are you ensuring that North-East Wales is prioritised when it comes to that training and recruiting of GPs in the years and decades ahead?”
In response, Mr Miles said the Welsh Government was committed to improving access to GP services across Wales through additional capacity funding and a review of access standards.
Mr Rowlands added: “It’s all well and good to say work is in progress to improve the situation but the reduction of GP surgeries hits our communities hard and it is something I am particularly concerned about for North-East Wales.
“We have gone from a system of traditional family doctors who know people, their relatives and ailments, to a scenario where we have GP deserts, with poor provision putting even more strain on the GP surgeries that do remain.
“We are also seeing a knock-on effect for our main hospitals with patients being forced to go to our already overwhelmed A&E departments because they can’t get to see their GP.”
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