PATIENTS at a surgery in Colwyn Bay are at “risk of harm” if the service is not improved, with the health board saying it is working through issues at the site.

West End Medical Centre, at 123 Conway Road, has experiences several problems with its service in the past year.

The surgery closed on multiple days last year due to staff shortages, meaning people’s appointments were cancelled and they could not be seen.

Management of the centre was taken on by Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCUHB) after previous GP partners withdrew from their NHS contracts.

Clwyd West MS Darren Millar told First Minister Vaughan Gething that the centre’s patients are “at risk of harm” because of the poor service, and urged him to take action to address the problems. 

Speaking in a meeting of Welsh Parliament last week, Mr Millar told Vaughan Gething of the multiple complaints he receives each week from patients at this practice, including running out of essential medication.

He said: “First Minister, healthcare services in Conwy and Denbighshire are not in a good place. We know that the health board in North Wales is in special measures.

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“One of the problems that I have in my own constituency is the problem of Colwyn Bay’s West End Medical Centre.

“It's a managed practice, run directly by the health board, and I receive multiple complaints about the services from that particular surgery each and every week.

“In fact, 100 per cent of the complaints that I have received about GP services since the start of this year have been about this one individual practice in my constituency.

“Patients are complaining about not being able to get appointments, not being able to get through on the telephone, not getting answers to e-mails, not getting call backs that they're promised, not being able to access vaccinations that are available in other surgeries, and not being able to get prescriptions in time, and actually running out of the essential medication that they need.

“It's not good enough. It's putting patients at risk of harm.

“This health board is in special measures and this practice is run directly by the health board.

“What action are you, and what action is the Welsh Government going to take, in order to resolve these problems, so that my constituents get the services they deserve?”

In his response, the First Minister said he’d talk both with the Cabinet Secretary, and also with the health board, “to ensure there's a direct note for the Member on what is taking place”.

Speaking afterwards, Darren said: “This is not the first time that I have had to raise poor practice at GP surgeries in my constituency with the Welsh Government.

“Every time I am promised action and improvements, yet nothing ever seems to change.

“I really hope for the sake of all the patient at Colwyn Bay’s West End Medical Centre, that this time is different and improvements are made quickly.”

The health board said they had increased staff numbers at the centre, and that they had seen improvements since these measures were introduced.

They remain “determined” to improve patient access to the facility, with more permanent GPs set to join the team “in the next couple of months”.

Alison Kemp, associate director of primary care and community services (central area), said: “The health board has taken on the management of the constituent practices which came together to form West End Medical Centre when the previous GP partners withdrew from their NHS contracts. 

"We continue to work through the issues and are determined to improve patient access.

“There is huge commitment by the staff and we have seen improvements by recruiting additional staff to resolve shortfalls.

“We have utilised locum medical and nursing staff to maintain services but have recently successfully recruited some additional permanent GPs. 

“They will join the team in the next couple of months and will help to develop and deliver services."