Sole GP was left to care for 6,300 patients

Local leaders have raised concerns after it was revealed a North Wales practice was left with only one GP caring for more than 6,300 patients.

According to a paper presented to Conwy Council cabinet meeting earlier this month, the Medical Centre in Penrhyn Bay had only one full-time GP as of August, looking after its patient list of 6,338.

Pulse understands that this was due to GP shortages in the area.

The document formed part of background papers for the Replacement Local Development Plan (RLDP), which predicted population growth in the area.

This is expected to rise by 4,950 residents between 2018 and 2033, which prompted councillors to raise concerns about the pressures on GP practices locally.

Penrhyn Ward Councillor Chris Carter said: ‘We talked a lot about individual surgeries which perhaps we shouldn’t have because this is an overarching policy, but I would like to point out the worst figure there, which is in my ward, where one doctor is coping with 6,338 patients.

‘And we are talking about 152 new houses going up in Penrhyn under the existing RLDP – so I just wanted to know if the health board is giving the practice the support it needs.

‘On paper those figures look dreadful. That ratio looks awful.’

Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board’s associate director for primary care and community services Alison Kemp agreed that the number looked concerning, but told the meeting that two GPs had since been recruited at the surgery.

She said: ‘These numbers change all the time. Since August, the senior partner in the practice has contacted us to say that he has employed two salaried GPs, so they are now up to three GPs and that they are hopeful that one or both of them will enter the partnership in the future.’

The document also pointed out that ‘several GP premises’ in Conwy have ‘insufficient capacity’ within existing buildings to accommodate the expected population growth from new housing developments.

A statement of common ground by the council and the health board, which was issued in response to concerns raised by councillors and members of the public about the effect of new developments on healthcare provision in the area, said that new schemes for new GP facilities ‘are being considered’.

It said: ‘Several GP premises in Conwy are currently working at or near their patient list size with insufficient capacity within existing premises to accommodate the level and distribution of expected population growth.

‘The health board will seek to ensure that sites for new facilities reflect the spatial distribution of need, the importance of accessibility and create opportunities for different service providers to share facilities.

‘Whilst in some practices there is little scope for expansion within existing GP premises, there are others that have some potential for growth.’

In August, the health board was forced to apologise after residents said they were left in ‘no-man’s land’, as they were unable to register with a GP due to a discrepancy relating to practice boundaries.

Last summer, GPC Wales launched its Save Our Surgeries campaign which called for an ‘urgent rescue package’ from the Welsh Government to save general practice from collapsing, and a BMA petition calling for the rescue package received over 21,500 signatures.

According to a BMA survey, over nine in 10 Welsh GPs are ‘routinely unable’ to meet patient demand due to high workload.