“It’s time to back our GP’s”- Mid and West Wales MS Jane Dodds

This week in the Senedd, the Mid and West Wales MS Jane Dodds called on the Welsh Government to support struggling rural GP’s.

Sharing her experiences from a number of visits to rural general practitioners, Jane Dodds MS highlighted several issues that were affecting GP’s which included:

·       An aging population (According to the Office of National Statistics, 27.8% of people living in Powys are aged 65 and over).

·       A lack of available public transport options to GP practices.

·       Isolation of farmers who are forced to wait for lengthy home visits.

·       A dramatic fall in funding for GPs (According to the British Medical Association, chronic underfunding has led to a 40% drop in GP’s share of NHS spending).

·       Issues in recruiting and retaining staff ( According to a recent survey from the Royal College of General Practitioners, one in four GP’s did not expect to be in their current role in five years’ time)

Speaking in the Siambr on Wednesday, Jane Dodds MS called upon the Welsh Government to do more to address these concerns.

The Senedd member for Mid and West Wales also called for the implementation of a Rural GP Premium payment to help cover the costs of delivering care.

Commenting, Mid and West Wales MS Jane Dodds Said:

“Recently, I had the privilege of visiting several general practitioners around Mid and West Wales to gather an understanding of the issues they face.

From these visits it became clear that, despite playing a vital role on the frontlines of rural healthcare, many GPs are struggling under immense pressure.

Left to tackle problems stemming from having to deal with an aging population and rural isolation on a shoe-string budget, it’s no wonder that GP’s across the region are facing the threat of closure.

Without the vital work being done by these GPs, I fear that rural Wales will face a serious health service drought.

The Welsh Government must do more to support our struggling GPs, including the immediate implementation of a Premium Payment plan to help prop up these services.”