Part of 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 1:57 pm on 23 January 2018.
Thank you, First Minister. You'll be aware, of course, that Powys doesn't have a district general hospital, which makes it all the more important to my constituents that there is an excellent out-of-hours GP service. The current out-of-hours service is run by Shropdoc, and the health board has said that they want to end that service and the contract with Shropdoc and replace it with the 111 out-of-hours service by this spring. I have no doubt in my own mind that neither the health board nor any other organisation can currently provide the same level of support as Shropdoc provides. Shropdoc also provide services to GP practices, and I think there's a real significant risk here that some GP practices could fold if those services are no longer available. It seems that the health board hasn't properly consulted on these proposals or consulted GPs correctly.
So, can I ask: has the Welsh Government exerted any influence over the health board in changing to a 111 model? Can you give any assurance to my constituents that any change would not be detrimental to them? And, if you can't give that assurance, will you examine this situation in Powys?