Access to GPs

Part of 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 1:31 pm on 29 November 2022.

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Photo of Tom Giffard Tom Giffard Conservative 1:31, 29 November 2022

I'm grateful to you, First Minister, for your answer. I've been getting increasing correspondence from constituents in Porthcawl concerned about the availability of an appointment with their local GP. And whilst I understand Porthcawl medical practice is working as hard it can to meet patient demand, they've said, and I quote:

'Diagnostic and monitoring work historically performed at hospitals is being passed to GPs, and, as a profession, GPs cannot cope with these demands from all sides.'

The Royal College of General Practitioners have highlighted concerns that there are 18 fewer practices across Wales since 2020, and the British Medical Association Cymru Wales note that, whilst the Welsh Government is meeting its lesser target of training 160 new GPs each year, it falls well short of the 200 target that the BMA say is required here in Wales. All of this is putting a bottleneck of pressure on practices like Porthcawl, and it's a situation that could potentially get worse in the years to come, as we know that GPs in Wales are, on average, older than their colleagues elsewhere in the UK. So, what steps is the Welsh Government taking to ensure that GP provision meets local demand in a town like Porthcawl, and will you commit your Government to hitting the BMA target of 200 new GPs a year?