BETSI Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCUHB) has refuted a claim by the MS for Clwyd West, Darren Millar, that staff at a Colwyn Bay medical centre were told to cancel a meeting with him.

Mr Millar said employees at the West End Medical Centre, on Conway Road, were instructed to not attend a planned meeting with him even though they were available to do so.

But BCUHB labelled this “incorrect”, stating that the aim was to re-arrange the date of the meeting.

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The MS said he had arranged a meeting with the practice manager following an increase in patient complaints to his office about access to appointments, prescriptions and telephone call backs.

These issues, he said, have been persistent since BCUHB took on the day-to-day management of the Rhoslan and Rysseldene practices, after GPs in both surgeries handed back their NHS contracts.

Mr Millar has held a number of meetings with practice staff, GPs and senior managers in the past 12 months and was hoping to do so again.

But on arrival at the West End Medical Centre yesterday morning (July 31), he said apologetic staff informed him that they had been told not to meet with him by senior BCUHB managers.

He said: "I find it extraordinary that senior health board managers are instructing staff not to engage with local elected representatives.

"I'm sorry to say that too many of my constituents feel let down by the medical centre at the moment with some trying to register at other GP practices as a result.

"It's vital that MSs can discuss patient concerns with frontline teams to get to the heart of these issues and work on solutions.

“Instructing people not to meet simply suggests that senior NHS managers don't care."

In response, Libby Ryan-Davies, BCUHB’s director of integrated health community for central, said: "It is incorrect to say that the health board has refused to meet Mr Millar.

“We simply wished to rearrange the date of the meeting to enable senior managers and the chair, as well as health centre staff, to be present and to hear his views about the services provided in Colwyn Bay.

 "This was made clear to Mr Millar on several occasions over the last week, both via telephone calls and email.

“It is, therefore, disappointing that he turned up at the health centre this (yesterday) morning.

"We have sought alternative dates from Mr Millar for the rearranged meeting, and are keen for it to take place. We have not yet received an alternative date from him."