The Western Mail reports on concerns that the Welsh Government’s vision of a primary care-led health service is under threat for lack of investment.
They say that there are concerns that some practices are being forced to cut patient services, and even refer patients back to hospital for basic tests, because they do not have enough space.
And there are fears that those new health centres and GP practices which have been approved do not contain enough room for further expansion to meet future service and training needs:
Doctors are now are calling for additional funding to allow Wales’ network of GP practices to expand to take on services traditionally provided by hospitals.
Dr David Bailey, chair of the Welsh GP committee, said: “While GPs are, in principle, signed up to the idea of care closer to home and moving more care into the community, we can only do that if we have somewhere to put patients.
“We have to invest in premises if we want to have a primary care-led NHS. There are a number of areas in the country, particularly urban areas, where practices do not have the capacity to expand to offer services.
“There are areas of Cardiff, for example, where GPs are still working from converted premises where you can’t have a nurse counsellor, a Citizen’s Advice Bureau coming in and you can’t provide extended services to support hospitals or set up chronic disease clinics, because there is not enough room.”
The 2005 Designed for Life 10-year strategy outlined the vision to create a world-class Welsh health service in which more patients are treated in the community and are kept out of hospitals as much as possible.
The Welsh Government’s response to these fears is rather bland. Their spokesperson can only say that they are already putting money in and have not been contacted formally with these concerns.
Maybe they should get out more.
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