Cllr Glyn Preston Calls for Investment in Rural GP to Tackle Health Crisis
Welsh Liberal Democrat Councillor for Llanidloes and Senedd candidate for Gwynedd Maldwyn (Montgomeryshire & Gwynedd) Glyn Preston has called for a number of measures to tackle the crisis in rural health care and improve GP waiting times.
Cllr Preston has made the calls following a visit and meeting by Liberal Democrat MP and member of Parliament’s Health and Social Care Select Committee Andrew George.
Andrew George, who is the MP in St. Ives in Cornwall, brings significant expertise on the delivery of healthcare in rural communities.
During the visit, Cllr Preston and Andrew George toured Llanidloes GP practice and met with local GPs to hear first-hand about the pressures facing the rural NHS.
A major concern raised by clinicians was the increasing centralisation of decision-making within the health board. GPs explained that hospital admissions must now be approved by a central authority based in Brecon, despite having no direct connection to local communities. This process forces doctors with in-depth knowledge of their patients to wait for external approval before admitting individuals to their local hospital, resulting in significant delays to care.
Ahead of the Senedd elections, the Welsh Liberal Democrats are committing to:
· Train more GPs and Allied Health Professionals in Wales to end the shortages and give everyone quicker access to local health services.
- Work to address the rural access to services inequality by continuing the development of rural diagnostic and day surgery hubs, prioritising the delivery of all phases of the North Powys Wellbeing Programme to reduce the need for cross-border healthcare in the Severn Catchment and developing similar business cases where applicable.
- A rural GP premium to attract and keep GPs in rural communities.
- A cut in red tape and administrative burden impacting GP surgeries and taking away vital time and resources from practices.
Commenting after the visit, Welsh Liberal Democrat Senedd candidate Cllr Glyn Preston said:
“Local doctors know their patients and their communities best. It is deeply frustrating that they are being overruled or delayed by a centralised system that lacks local knowledge. We need to restore decision-making powers to our communities so patients can receive timely, appropriate care.”
“Andrew George MP highlighted successful examples of community-led healthcare reform in Cornwall, where services have been shaped through close collaboration between healthcare professionals and local residents.
“The Welsh Liberal Democrats have a plan to clear up decades of Welsh Labour failure when it comes to our GP services and I would look to push forward these plans if elected on May 7th.”
ENDS