Council demands action on Pontyates surgery closure as councillors warn of “predetermined outcome”
The motion, proposed by Plaid Cymru councillors Alex Evans and Tyssul Evans and passed at today’s full Carmarthenshire County Council meeting, calls on both Welsh Government and Hywel Dda to explain why closure has been identified as the “preferred option” before full community consultation has taken place.
The debate saw 11 councillors speak, with powerful criticisms of the health board’s engagement process and warnings that neighbouring GP surgeries are already operating “beyond full capacity” and cannot absorb thousands more patients.
Cllr Alex Evans told the chamber that Hywel Dda had informed local councillors the current engagement “will not consider alternatives to closure, only the impact the closure would have.”
“That is not engagement on securing the future of a service, that is an engagement on managing its loss,” he said. “If an engagement does not consider an alternative, it inevitably creates the impression that the outcome has already been decided.”
He warned that relocating thousands of patients to already stretched practices “will not remove pressure from the system, it just redistributes it.”
“Our communities should not have to suffer the consequences of a national failure of government to train, recruit and retain GPs,” Cllr Evans said, noting that around 100 GP surgeries have closed in Wales since 2012 whilst GP numbers have barely increased since 2008.
“Closure must be the last option, not the easiest one,” he concluded.
Public transport nightmare
Cllr Tyssul Evans highlighted the absurdity of public transport options for patients without cars, revealing that whilst Pontyates and Kidwelly are less than six miles apart by direct route, patients relying on buses would face a 15-mile journey one way via Llanelli, or a 20-mile journey via Carmarthen.
“This means a six-mile journey becomes either a 30-mile or 40-mile round trip for elderly, disabled, or vulnerable patients needing regular appointments,” he said.
Cross-community solidarity
Cllr Liam Bowen, representing Pontyberem, said the manager of Colebrook Surgery in his village was supporting the campaign to save Meddygfa’r Sarn, despite the practice being prepared to take displaced patients if necessary.
He revealed that Colebrook already has over 5,000 registered patients, and local people are concerned that adding thousands more following the closure of Tumble Surgery and potentially Pontyates would lead to unacceptable waiting times.
“The residents of Pontyberem are standing firmly with the residents of Pontyates,” Cllr Bowen said. “Closing Sarn surgery is another example of care services being taken out of our rural communities.”
Pattern of failed consultations
Independent councillor Sean Rees delivered a devastating critique of Hywel Dda’s consultation processes, listing multiple examples where community engagement had failed to meaningfully consider alternatives.
“Local GP surgeries are not simply just buildings where appointments take place, they are the front door to our national health service,” he said.
Cllr Rees said he had spoken to many Llanelli-based GP practices, and many were already operating “at full capacity, and many would say they are beyond that.”
“Appointment books are filled within minutes. Patients speak of repeated attempts to try and get through on the phone at 8am in the morning,” he said.
“To simply suggest that thousands more patients can be absorbed into a system without any consequence at all is just simply not credible.”
He cited failures in consultations over the minor injuries unit at Prince Philip Hospital, last week’s clinical services plan outcomes, the relocation of the Dyfed Drug and Alcohol service, and ongoing questions regarding blood testing services that were due to move to Pentre Awel last year but remain unresolved.
“When these commitments are made and when timelines slip without clear explanation, confidence erodes and trust weakens,” Cllr Rees said.
“If a board’s report has already identified closure as a preferred option before any full community consultation, then it is absolutely entirely understandable that the residents will fear that the outcomes are predetermined. That undermines trust and once that public trust is damaged it is extremely difficult to rebuild. We simply cannot allow this pattern to continue.”
Housing growth contradicts closure
Cllr Steve Williams questioned how the closure could be justified when new housing is being built in the area and the population is rising.
“What is the Senedd doing to ensure that primary care is available to those that need it the most?” he asked, demanding Welsh Government oversight on healthcare planning.
Community protest
Cllr Meinir James noted that over 200 local residents and councillors had formed a human chain around the surgery on Monday in a “Cwtsh or Sarn” solidarity event, following a petition that has gathered over 1,000 signatures.
Impact on neighbouring surgeries
The motion highlighted that if Meddygfa’r Sarn closes, Colebrook Surgery in Pontyberem would receive an extra 3,000 patients – a 60 per cent increase – taking its total to 8,000, whilst Minafon in Kidwelly would gain 1,000 extra patients, taking it to over 9,000.
National workforce crisis
Cllr Evans told councillors that according to Llais, 91 per cent of GPs say they cannot meet patient demand in Wales, and BMA Cymru has warned of a GP workforce crisis, with alarmingly over 10 per cent of GPs under 40 leaving the workforce in 2023.
He said Welsh Government is spending a “record low 6 per cent of the budget on Primary Care” at a time when services are being reduced not because they are no longer needed, but because the workforce is not there.
Minor dissent
Two councillors raised concerns about the motion’s tone. Cllr Michael Thomas claimed it was “too negative” and didn’t outline alternatives, whilst Cllr Martyn Palfreyman criticised what he called “partisan comments” from Cllr Alex Evans in blaming Welsh Government.
Cllr Evans disputed the partisan claim, saying he had not mentioned any political parties and that the opposition Labour group had not submitted any amendments to the motion despite having the opportunity to do so.
What the motion demands
The motion calls on Welsh Government to explain what steps are being taken to prevent GP surgery closures across Wales and to ensure that alternatives to closure are genuinely considered in all cases.
It demands that Hywel Dda University Health Board publish its Health Impact Assessment and Equality Impact Assessment, explain why closure was identified as the preferred option before full consultation, and publish its assessment of all alternatives to closure.
The motion was passed following the debate.
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