A CAMPAIGN to improve GP access across Pembrokeshire has taken a significant step forward this week following a meeting between local MP Henry Tufnell and the Chief Executive of Hywel Dda Health Board.

The Herald understands that during the meeting it was agreed that best practice would be established across all GP surgeries in the county—something Mr Tufnell has been calling for since launching his primary care campaign several months ago.

The move follows a detailed public survey conducted by the MP, in which hundreds of residents voiced concerns over delays in securing GP appointments and inconsistent service levels across different practices.

In a video message posted to social media, Mr Tufnell said: “After a constructive meeting with Professor Phillip Kloer, I am pleased that we are both on the same page and recognise the need for real action in response to the needs of our community.

“For months now, I have raised the need for improvements, and thanks to the powerful feedback from my recent survey, we are on the right path to establishing best practices that will benefit everyone across Pembrokeshire. We must finally see an end to the postcode lottery of accessing primary care.”

Mr Tufnell is expected to meet with Professor Kloer again later this summer to assess whether the promised improvements are being implemented effectively.

He added: “I want to extend my sincere thanks to everyone who took the time to complete my survey on GP services. Your input is making a real difference, and together, we can continue to improve the healthcare services that are so vital to our community.”

The MP has also launched a new survey to gather public feedback on access to NHS dental services in the area.

Residents wishing to take part in the dental survey can do so online HERE.

Inquiry told failures in testing and tracing cost lives and left Wales unprepared

THE UK Covid Inquiry has begun its latest public hearings with stark criticism of the UK and devolved governments’ handling of testing, tracing and isolation strategies during the coronavirus pandemic. On the opening day of Module 7, which focuses on “Test, Trace and Isolate” (TTI) systems, serious concerns were raised about the Welsh Government’s effectiveness, coordination, and long-term preparedness.

Sophie Cartwright KC, lead counsel to the Inquiry, laid out a damning picture of systemic disarray across the four nations, including Wales. She highlighted that despite early warnings and international advice, the Welsh Government did not fully roll out its Test, Trace, Protect strategy until mid-May 2020, by which time the virus had already swept through communities.

The Inquiry heard that on 12 March 2020, all four UK nations, including Wales, stopped community testing and contact tracing—despite the World Health Organization’s call to “test, test, test.” Professor Chris Whitty, the Chief Medical Officer, told a COBR meeting that day that mass testing and tracing would no longer be pursued, even as infections surged.

The result was, as Cartwright put it, a “disastrous blind spot” in surveillance and control. While countries like South Korea and Japan avoided national lockdowns through robust test-and-isolate systems, the UK suffered repeated waves. Professor Anthony Costello estimated that over 180,000 deaths might have been prevented had the UK adopted similar strategies.

Anna-Louise Marsh-Rees, who gave emotional evidence, represents Covid Bereaved Families for Justice Cymru. She spoke on behalf of families in Wales who lost loved ones due to what they describe as “avoidable government failings.” Her testimony underscored the human impact of delays in testing, isolation support and communication failures.

Lack of preparedness and ignored lessons

Anna-Louise Marsh-Rees, representing Covid Bereaved Families for Justice Cymru, criticised the Welsh Government for failing to act on pandemic preparedness plans. She highlighted that Exercise Shipshape, a 2003 SARS simulation involving Wales, had already identified the importance of being able to test, trace and isolate effectively. Yet, none of those lessons were implemented. Marsh-Rees said there was a clear failure to build resilient infrastructure and no meaningful contingency planning, despite numerous simulations and warnings.

Testing failures and wave two disaster

Marsh-Rees gave a stark account of the absence of routine and repeat testing during the second wave of Covid-19 in Wales. She revealed that repeat testing of patients wasn’t introduced until January 2021, and even then only every five days—compared to every three in England. Worse, healthcare workers were not regularly tested until February or March 2021, despite lateral flow tests being available from November 2020. She stated bluntly that this oversight contributed to Wales having the highest rate of hospital-acquired (nosocomial) infections in the UK, calling it one of the group’s most heartbreaking concerns.

A sense the Welsh Government didn’t want to know

In her closing remarks, Marsh-Rees accused the Welsh Government of appearing as though it did not want to know if people were testing positive, implying that awareness would have triggered obligations to act. She pointed out that 178 people had contracted Covid in Welsh hospitals just last week, five years into the pandemic. “Testing has been forgotten—or proactively not undertaken,” she said. “It’s like a concerted effort not to find out.” Her testimony called for an internationally informed overhaul of public health strategy and an end to political point scoring in future pandemic response.

Missed opportunities in Wales

Wales launched its Test, Trace, Protect plan on 13 May 2020. Then Health Minister Vaughan Gething promised increased capacity and localised response. But the Inquiry was told that testing capacity remained limited, with many key functions outsourced to UK-wide services like Lighthouse Labs and delivery partners like Amazon, rather than utilising existing NHS and university laboratories in Wales.

A submission from the Royal College of Pathologists noted that many NHS and academic labs in the UK were sidelined, despite offering higher quality and faster results than the private facilities that were favoured instead. The Microbiology Society echoed these concerns, saying the government did not properly engage with universities and local experts in Wales and elsewhere.

The Inquiry heard that by mid-2020, Wales had access to six drive-through test centres, eight mobile units and a handful of community testing sites—but by then the damage had already been done.

Support for isolating ‘too little, too late’

The Welsh Government’s Self-Isolation Support Scheme, launched in November 2020, was described as well-intentioned but too slow in implementation. Earlier schemes in Northern Ireland and England had started months prior.

Evidence submitted highlighted how economic necessity led many to avoid testing to avoid losing income. “I remember people saying, ‘I can’t test because if I test and I’m positive, I can’t work,’” one person told the Inquiry.

Anna-Louise Marsh-Rees, representing Covid Bereaved Families for Justice Cymru, will give impact evidence later this week, speaking on behalf of families in Wales who lost loved ones due to what they describe as “avoidable government failings.”

Infrastructure dismantled

Lord Bethell, who had responsibility for TTI at UK level, warned that the UK is now less prepared than ever for a future pandemic, with testing labs dismantled, data systems shut down, and public health infrastructure “weaker than ever.”

The Inquiry continues this week with further evidence from bereaved families, scientists, and public health experts from across the UK.

Patients in crisis waiting days for care as frontline nurses sound the alarm

THE ROYAL COLLEGE OF NURSING is calling for urgent and sustained investment in the mental health nursing workforce after a UK-wide Freedom of Information (FOI) investigation revealed a sharp rise in the number of people attending emergency departments in mental health crisis.

The findings, published today (May 13), come just days after the Welsh Government released its long-awaited Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy – a document the RCN warns must now be matched with meaningful action and funding.

The FOI responses show a growing number of mental health patients waiting over 12 hours in A&E for appropriate support. Some patients have been forced to wait for up to three days in distress, often without access to specialist care.

In Wales, the RCN says nursing staff are reporting dangerous and inhumane conditions. These include instances of vulnerable patients being monitored by security guards instead of qualified professionals, patients attempting suicide while awaiting treatment, and individuals leaving without receiving any care.

Last month, RCN Wales joined BMA Cymru Wales in launching a petition calling on the Welsh Government to end the use of corridor care in hospitals and guarantee patients are treated with dignity and safety.

RCN Wales warns that chronic underfunding of community mental health services, along with cuts to mental health beds, is placing unsustainable pressure on emergency departments. Without significant investment in specialist community nursing, the college says patients in crisis will continue to be funnelled into emergency departments that are unequipped to meet their needs.

Speaking at the RCN’s annual Congress in Liverpool next week, General Secretary and Chief Executive Professor Nicola Ranger is expected to call for “urgent, massive and sustained investment in community mental health nursing”. She will also condemn the ongoing cuts to mental health beds as short-sighted and dangerous.

The RCN is demanding:

• Improved access to education and training – NHS staff must be supported to access the professional development required for modern, safe care.
• Capital investment in residential care – Many NHS mental health facilities are outdated and in disrepair. Patients deserve safe and therapeutic environments.
• Expansion of nurse staffing legislation – Section 25B of the Nurse Staffing Levels (Wales) Act should urgently be extended to mental health inpatient services.

Helen Whyley, Director of RCN Wales, said: “This report is a wake-up call. It is unacceptable that people in mental health crisis are being left for hours – sometimes days – in emergency departments that cannot meet their needs. The Welsh Government says mental health is a priority, but without real investment in mental health nursing, that promise is meaningless. We need urgent action to recruit, retain, and properly resource specialist nurses in our communities. Mental health patients deserve dignity, expertise and timely care – not queues, delays and despair.”