Residents turn out to public meeting over health services in the Amman and Upper Swansea Valleys

The meeting, called on by AM Eluned Morgan and Cwmaman mayor councillor Kevin Madge, was a follow up to a similar event held last October where patients of the Amman Tawe Partnership turned out to raise concerns about accessing GP services.

Ms Morgan said she has been amazed by the response at both meetings. “Not many people turn up to public meetings, so to see both halls packed was something we didn’t expect,” she said.

Adding: “After the previous meeting we took copious notes of issues raised and held meetings with Hywel Dda Health Board to go through the issues. I also held a meeting with the surgery.”

The Amman Tawe partnership is responsible for around 12,000 people; accountable to Abertawe Bro Morgannwg Health Board for approximately 8,000 Neath Port Talbot residents and to Hywel Dda Health Board for approximately 4,000 Carmarthenshire residents.

The most recent meeting, held in Brynaman, was another opportunity for people to share their concerns with the AM, County Councillor and Health Board officials from both health boards.

Ms Morgan said: “There is a need to see if it is possible for the practice to be accountable to one health board not two, so that there is a clear line of accountability and that we are clear who is responsible to whom.

“I’ve encouraged Hywel Dda Health Board to look at what support they have given to other surgeries like Kidwelly and Tenby to see if something similar can be done to support this surgery."

The main concerns raised included appointment issues, where patients were unable to secure one in a sufficient time, or not get through to an operator, also transport link issues where patients were being sent from one county to another for an appointment spending a considerable amount of money on taxi’s and bus fairs to get to an appointment.

The meeting also saw representatives from Hywel Dda Community Health Council present who claimed to be surprised at the lack of formal complaints raised to them, especially as there were so many at the meeting.

Councillor Kevin Madge, a former member of the Health Council, believed this is down to the council being unapproachable in the area.

He said: “There are only two people people covering the whole of West Wales, which I think is totally unacceptable. How can people expect to be able to make a complaint to a service which is lacking in numbers. I am now calling on the Welsh Government to intervene, this is a serious issue.”

However, the health council has pledged to hold a surgery for people to air their concerns.

Moving forward, Ms Morgan said the health boards and surgery had pledged to address the issues and understand that it is unrealistic to send a patient registered at one site to another.

Ms Morgan added: “There’s clearly a strong sense of feeling within the community that the public is not receiving the service that they deserve. There are particular concerns relating to the distance that people need to travel and the cost of travelling to the various surgery sites. “In the coming weeks, I am arranging a more specific advice event so that anyone wishing to raise a more formal complaint on this issue or more widely can access the advocacy team at the Community Health Council. To make a change, local patients must use the proper channels and I will be only too pleased to support that action, which I feel will make a positive difference in the longer term.”

Cllr Madge added: “For the moment I will give the health boards the benefit of the doubt and see if there will be a difference in the coming months. But I am calling on everyone to get their act together and make this a reliable service.”