Thank you for writing to me about the Welsh Parliament Petition for Fair and Adequate resourcing of General Practice in Wales. I share your concerns about communities losing their GP services. Timely access to GP services is vital to ensure people can be treated promptly to prevent deterioration and stay healthy, and receive the ongoing care they need for long-term health conditions.
I am alarmed by data showing that 1 in 5 GP practices in Wales closed between 2012 and 2022, and that a third of people in Wales have reported difficulties in accessing GP appointments. With these figures its unsurprising that the highly troubling Healthcare Inspectorate Wales 2022-23 annual report found that accessibility of GP appointments in Wales was one of the key concerns of people in Wales.
The Welsh Labour Government are continuing to underfund the Welsh NHS – they simply do not spend the full £1.20 they receive from the UK Conservative Government for every £1.00 spent on Health in England. This underfunding means that they are not fully resourcing our Welsh NHS and means that the Welsh Labour Government were unable to provide GP practices with a “credible” financial offer, and so negotiations over the 23/24 contract broke down.
A Welsh Conservative Government would properly fund our Welsh NHS. We recognise that our NHS workforce is our greatest asset and we will value them. Russell George MS, Shadow Minister for Health has met with the British Medical Association GP Committee to understand their concerns, and will continue to call on the Welsh Labour Government to properly resource GP practices so no more communities lose their vital services.
I look forward to the petition taking place and will be voting to note the petition.
Thank you again for taking the time to contact me,
