Part of 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 2:11 pm on 22 March 2022.
Nearly three years have passed since Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board had to take direct control of the Longford Road and Cambria surgeries in Holyhead, and, yes, it's been a period of unprecedented challenge for primary care everywhere. But, for nearly three years now, patients at those two surgeries have had to receive a standard of care way below what they should be able to expect. Yes, there's a new urgent primary care centre on the way to Ysbyty Penrhos Stanley, but that's different. And yes, the staff at Longford Road and Cambria are doing everything that they can in very, very difficult circumstances. But we need a new multidisciplinary primary healthcare centre that can attract staff and provide the necessary services, and we need it urgently. I've been pursuing this for, yes, nearly three years now, but, at a recent meeting with the health board, it became clear to me that things are moving very, very slowly indeed. Can the First Minister tell me when he would expect the people of Holyhead who are patients at those surgeries, to receive the standard of service that they should be able to expect? And what can he do to bring about that investment urgently—an investment that I've been calling for for such a long time?