Kirsty Williams
Kirsty Williams, Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats, has called for the Welsh Government to take action on the crisis facing General Practice in Wales. The recent National Survey for Wales showed that 38% of patients are having to wait to see their GP.
In May this year at the annual Local Medical Committee Conference, Dr Charlotte Jones, chair of the British Medical Association’s Welsh General Practitioners Committee, said: “The workforce situation, unless urgently addressed, will further exacerbate the problems we face.” “If it sounds like a crisis, smells like a crisis, feels like a crisis then it is a crisis.”
Commenting Kirsty Williams said:
“In Wales, we have fewer GPs per 1,000 head of population than anywhere else in the UK, so it no surprise that more and more constituents are frustrated as they run the gauntlet of the 8 a.m. call to try to secure that much-needed GP appointment.
“Poor access to GPs, whether it is in hours, but especially if it is out of hours, leads to demand in other parts of the system, where it simply costs more money. Therefore, addressing the issue of access to GPs in a timely fashion is really important for the whole NHS system.”
