Health

GP crisis driving NHS pressure in Wales, Senedd report warns

Published

10 minutes ago

March 26, 2026

Falling GP numbers and funding gaps blamed for worsening hospital delays

THE NHS crisis highlighted earlier this week is being driven in part by a deepening shortage of GP services, a new Senedd report has revealed.

As previously reported by The Herald, politicians have raised serious concerns about mounting pressure on hospitals, long waits in A&E, and the growing strain on frontline services. Now, a report published on Friday (Mar 27) by the Senedd’s Health and Social Care Committee points to the root of the problem — a weakening primary care system.

The Committee warns that without urgent investment in GP services and preventative care, demand across the NHS will continue to rise beyond capacity.

Sharp decline in GP practices

The report highlights a long-term fall in the number of GP practices across Wales.

In 2002, there were 516 practices operating nationwide. By the start of the pandemic in 2020, that number had dropped to 404. Today, just 374 remain.

The decline has been felt most acutely in rural areas, including west Wales, where fewer practices are now expected to serve growing populations with increasingly complex health needs.

The result, the report suggests, is more patients turning to already overstretched hospital services.

Funding model under pressure

Despite Welsh Government commitments to prioritise community healthcare, the Committee heard evidence that funding has not kept pace with demand.

Concerns were also raised about the current funding formula used for GP practices, which critics say fails to properly reflect deprivation, illness levels and the challenges of delivering care in rural areas.

Without reform, the Committee warns that general practice risks becoming unsustainable, with inequalities in access likely to widen.

Access frustration growing

Patients across Wales continue to face difficulties accessing GP appointments, with the so-called “8:00am scramble” remaining a major source of frustration.

Older patients, those in work, and people with caring responsibilities are among those most affected.

The report also points to concerns about reduced continuity of care and shorter appointment times, contributing to declining public confidence in GP services.

Hospitals feeling the strain

The findings reinforce concerns raised earlier this week about pressure on emergency departments and delays in care.

By failing to invest sufficiently in primary and preventative services, the report suggests more patients are reaching crisis point — increasing demand for hospital treatment that could otherwise have been avoided.

Call for urgent action

The Committee is calling on the Welsh Government to shift more healthcare services into the community, backed by sustained investment and reform of the funding system.

Committee chair Peter Fox said: “General practice and primary care are the cornerstone of our NHS.

“If we are to ease the growing pressures across the whole health system, we must ensure people can access services closer to home and receive treatment earlier.”

Healthcare leaders, including the British Medical Association and the Royal College of General Practitioners, have also warned that without decisive action, GP services will continue to deteriorate.

The report concludes that unless primary care is strengthened, pressure on hospitals will continue to grow — leaving patients facing longer waits and reduced access to treatment.

Health

Doctors say Wales is failing to value NHS staff over new pay award

Published

20 hours ago

March 25, 2026

Tom Sinclair

BMA Cymru Wales accuses ministers of falling short on pay restoration as Welsh Government accepts DDRB recommendations for 2026-27

DOCTORS in Wales have accused the Welsh Government of failing to properly value NHS staff after ministers accepted this year’s independent pay recommendations for medical and dental professionals. The row centres on whether the award represents fair recognition for frontline staff — or yet another missed chance to reverse years of falling real-terms pay.

In a written statement published on Wednesday (Mar 25), Health Secretary Jeremy Miles said the Welsh Government had accepted the Doctors’ and Dentists’ Review Body recommendations on headline pay for 2026-27. Under the decision, consultants, specialty and associate specialist doctors, resident doctors, dentists and locally employed doctors will receive a 3.5% consolidated uplift from April 1, 2026, while salaried dentists in Community Dental Services and the Public Dental Service will receive 3.75%.

But while the Welsh Government also said it accepted in principle a 3.5% uplift for contractor GPs and a 3.75% uplift to the pay element of dental contracts, ministers made clear that final decisions on how those increases are applied alongside wider contract changes would be left to the next government.

That has triggered an angry response from BMA Cymru Wales. In a press release issued on Wednesday, Dr Iona Collins, chair of the BMA’s Welsh Council, said ministers had “once again chosen to impose an award that falls short” of repeated promises to deliver full pay restoration for doctors employed by NHS Wales.

She said the award failed to reflect the “superhuman” efforts of doctors working under intense pressure and warned that inadequate pay would make it harder to retain staff in the Welsh NHS at a time when many are considering leaving for better pay and conditions elsewhere.

The BMA also raised concerns about general practice, saying GP pay had effectively been left hanging because the Cabinet Secretary linked the award to ongoing General Medical Services contract discussions with the incoming administration. The union said this left general practice “out in the cold” compared with other branches of the profession and called for urgent talks.

The Welsh Government said the award would apply from April 1 and added that wider DDRB recommendations not directly related to headline pay would be considered separately with partners. Ministers thanked NHS staff for their “ongoing dedication and hard work”.

The dispute is likely to reignite the wider argument over recruitment, retention and morale in NHS Wales, with doctors’ leaders insisting that pay restoration is no longer simply about reward, but about preventing more clinicians from walking away from the service.

Health

Same Day Emergency Care unit at Glangwili to reopen after £2m refurbishment

Published

21 hours ago

March 25, 2026

Tom Sinclair

THE SDEC unit at Glangwili Hospital in Carmarthen will reopen to patients and staff on Monday (Mar 30) following a major £2m refurbishment.

The upgrade, funded by the Welsh Government, has delivered additional consultation rooms, a redesigned reception area, and improved facilities aimed at enhancing the experience for both patients and staff.

Health board chiefs say the revamped unit is expected to ease pressure on the hospital’s Emergency Department and forms part of wider efforts to improve urgent care services across Hywel Dda University Health Board sites, including the Minor Injury Unit at Prince Philip Hospital.

Keith Jones, Director of Operational Planning and Performance at Hywel Dda, said: “We are very grateful to the Welsh Government for the £2.096 million investment, which has allowed us to increase capacity within the SDEC unit at Glangwili.

“We expect these improvements will help reduce pressure on the Emergency Department and enable our teams to deliver a smoother, faster experience for patients.”

During the works, several services were temporarily relocated to Y Lolfa, formerly Padarn Ward. These will now return to the SDEC building, including the Discharge Lounge, Medical Day Unit and the Primary Care Out of Hours Service.

Cancer support services, including the Cancer Information and Support Service (CISS) and Cancer Psychological Support Service (CaPS), will also move back to the unit.

Access routes for services that remained at the Priory Day Hospital during the refurbishment – including podiatry, neuro-rehabilitation and occupational therapy – will return to normal.

Patients are advised to follow on-site signage or ask staff for directions. The health board said appointment letters will include updated information, but urged patients to double-check details and contact departments directly if unsure.

Mr Jones added: “I would like to thank staff, patients and visitors for their patience during these works.”

Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care Jeremy Miles said the investment would deliver “real improvements” for patients and staff.

He added: “This is part of our ongoing commitment to improving hospital facilities across Wales, ensuring people receive the right care, in the right place, as quickly as possible.”

Health

Cervical cancer prevention drive stepped up across Wales

Published

22 hours ago

March 25, 2026

Rieve Nesbitt-Marr

Home testing and vaccine catch-up plan launched as uptake falls after pandemic

PLANS to boost cervical cancer prevention across Wales have been set out by ministers, amid concerns that HPV vaccination rates have fallen since the pandemic.

In a written statement issued on Wednesday (Mar 25), Health Secretary Jeremy Miles said urgent work is underway to improve uptake of both vaccination and screening, which are key to preventing the disease.

The Welsh Government confirmed that before COVID-19, HPV vaccine uptake was close to the World Health Organisation’s 90% target — but levels have since dropped.

Health board vaccination teams have delivered more than 1,400 additional HPV vaccinations during 2025 as part of targeted efforts, particularly focusing on schools where uptake is lowest. Further catch-up programmes are planned over the next 12 months.

Public Health Wales has also launched surveys aimed at understanding why some young people and parents are not attending vaccination appointments, alongside a wider communications campaign highlighting the benefits of the vaccine.

Cervical screening, which detects high-risk strains of HPV, remains a key part of prevention efforts. However, participation varies across different groups.

A new initiative will see at-home cervical screening kits introduced later this year, aimed at women who rarely or never attend appointments. The move is designed to remove barriers to screening and improve access.

Latest figures show a gradual decline in cervical cancer cases and deaths in Wales. The number of cases has fallen from an average of 164 per year in the early 2000s to 149 in recent years, while annual deaths have dropped from 61 to 54.

Despite this progress, ministers say more must be done to improve early detection and treatment.

Cervical cancer is currently grouped within wider gynaecological cancers for NHS treatment targets, but plans are in place to report more detailed data by April 2027 to better track treatment times.

Jeremy Miles urged those eligible to take up both vaccination and screening offers, adding that improving access to prevention, diagnosis and treatment would be key to reducing cancer rates further in the years ahead.