PONTYATES: Campaigners back search for new GP team to secure future of Meddygfa’r Sarn

Campaigners who fought to save a Pontyates GP surgery have backed the search for a new team to run it long term.

The Save Sarn Surgery Community Working Group says it welcomes Hywel Dda University Health Board’s decision to seek expressions of interest from potential providers for Meddygfa’r Sarn.

The group is now encouraging healthcare professionals to consider taking on the practice.

The health board has said it will explore whether a new or existing GP provider could take on the practice through a General Medical Services contract.

The surgery will continue to operate as a managed practice in the meantime, with registered patients told to access services as they do now.

Any formal arrangement would follow an open procurement process under national Provider Selection Regime rules, should the board decide it is a viable way forward.

The Save Sarn Surgery group says the aim is for an independent contractor to take over the practice from April 2027.

The move follows a major U-turn last month, when the board set aside its plan to close the surgery and agreed instead to explore independent GP provision for its 4,350 patients.

That decision came after a four-month community campaign against the original proposal to disperse patients to neighbouring practices.

Clare Treharne, speaking for the working group, said the community had shown how much the surgery mattered to local people.

“We welcome the health board’s decision to seek expressions of interest and we want to support that process in any way we can,” she said.

She said there was a real opportunity not only to secure the surgery’s future, but to build a model of community-focused care reflecting wider ambitions across Wales to deliver healthcare closer to home.

The group said recent board discussions had recognised that the future of healthcare in Pontyates was about more than securing a GP contract.

Board members had spoken about the importance of accessibility, community engagement and shaping services in partnership with local people, the group added.

The working group believes the surgery could become an example of how providers, communities and public bodies can work together on sustainable primary care.

It is also calling for closer collaboration between organisations involved in healthcare, planning, transport, housing and community development, to ensure future decisions reflect the long-term needs of the area.

The group acknowledged that many residents remain concerned about the surgery’s future should a new provider not be found.

For that reason, it said, every effort should be made to highlight the strengths and opportunities of the practice.

Healthcare professionals or organisations interested in the opportunity are advised to follow the information issued by the health board through the formal procurement process.

The working group said it would also be happy to share information about the community and local support for the practice, and can be contacted through its Save Sarn Surgery Facebook page.

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PONTYATES: FOI reveals no specific recruitment attempts for Sarn surgery GP in 9 years as decision day looms

The campaign to save a rural GP surgery in Carmarthenshire has uncovered what campaigners say is a damning revelation – that the health board managing Meddygfa’r Sarn in Pontyates made no specific attempts to recruit a salaried GP to the practice for nine years, despite citing a lack of interest as a key reason for its closure recommendation.

Freedom of Information documents obtained by the Save Meddygfa’r Sarn Working Group reveal that since Hywel Dda University Health Board took over management of the practice in 2017, the only recruitment efforts made were circular letters sent to locums already working across managed practices in 2021, 2023 and 2024 – asking whether any wished to take up salaried roles. The surgery has been without a salaried GP since February 2025, and apart from one GP recruited in 2021 who left the same year, no targeted recruitment campaign has ever been run for Meddygfa’r Sarn specifically.

Campaigners say this directly contradicts an impression given in the health board’s own January report on the surgery, which stated: “The Practice is entirely locum-dependent currently and there has been little interest in recruitment to salaried roles.” The FOI documents suggest that limited interest may have been a consequence of limited effort.

Jane Nicholas, speaking on behalf of the working group, said the health board’s approach showed a lack of vision. “Despite not having any salaried GPs at present, we do feel well supported by the surgery,” she said. “We have continuity of care as many of the locums have worked at Meddygfa’r Sarn for years. It’s a great team and we really value being able to access care locally and get an appointment when needed. Being seen promptly at the local surgery keeps patients away from A&E which is a cost saving in the long run. The Health Board’s recommendation shows a lack of vision and forward planning.”

The FOI documents also reveal that Meddygfa’r Sarn is far from alone in its reliance on locums. Minafon surgery in Kidwelly – which would receive approximately 1,000 extra patients under the proposed dispersal plan – is itself 83% reliant on locum staff. Other managed practices are between 29% and 77% reliant on locums, raising serious questions about the capacity of receiving surgeries to absorb thousands of displaced patients overnight.

Retired nurse Janet Knott, who served the NHS for 52 years including many years in the Gwendraeth area, warned that the proposed mass dispersal of patients would place enormous strain on receiving surgeries and their staff. “The Health Board’s plans would see thousands of patients transferred overnight. That is very worrying for patients but also for the staff at the other surgeries, particularly the reception staff, who would have to field calls from many more anxious patients,” she said. She added that the people of the Gwendraeth valley felt “let down and discriminated against” by the proposals.

Janet and Jane spoke to Dylan Ebenezer on Radio Cymru’s Dros Frecwast programme on 23 April – the same day the S4C party leaders debate took place at Yr Egin in Carmarthen, with health and NHS spending taking centre stage. Following the interview, Janet surprised Dylan by revealing a personal connection – she had supported his mother-in-law during her time in Glangwili’s maternity unit after giving birth to his wife, and Dylan had long heard stories of a nurse named Janet who had been particularly supportive. He insisted on a photograph to share with his wife.

The working group has submitted a 52-page report and separate sustainability document to the health board, alongside a new proposal from a clinical team to provide services at Meddygfa’r Sarn. Hundreds of patients attended three public engagement events or responded in writing during the consultation process.

Campaigners are concerned that the FOI documents – which arrived too late to inform their formal submission – may contain further significant revelations. They are continuing to work through the material.

The surgery serves patients across the Gwendraeth valley, and campaigners say its closure would leave a vulnerable rural community without accessible local primary care, pushing patients towards already-stretched services in Llanelli and Carmarthen.

Hywel Dda University Health Board has been approached for comment.

A final decision on the future of Meddygfa’r Sarn will be made at the Hywel Dda University Health Board meeting on Wednesday 28 May at Yr Egin, Carmarthen. Campaigners will be attending in person, and the proceedings can be followed online – details will be published on the Hywel Dda website.

Our Meddygfa’r Sarn coverage

Senedd candidate joins campaign to save Meddygfa’r Sarn as pressure on health board mounts
Political pressure grows as the Senedd election campaign focuses attention on the surgery’s future.

Campaigners lodge formal complaint over Pontyates GP surgery closure plans
The working group escalates its challenge to the health board’s process.

Hundreds protest to save Pontyates GP surgery as council demands action
Community anger spills over as councillors demand the health board think again.

Residents step up fight to save Pontyates GP surgery as confidence in health board process collapses
The campaign intensifies as trust in the consultation process breaks down.

Pontyates surgery gets temporary lifeline as health board delays final decision
A stay of execution – but the final decision is now set for 28 May.

Future of Pontyates GP surgery in doubt as health board considers dispersing all 4,300 patients
Our original report when the closure threat first emerged.

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