Patients at the GP surgery in Gwaun Cae Gurwen have told inspectors, in overwhelming numbers, that they cannot get an appointment when they need one.
Of the 531 patients and carers who answered a Healthcare Inspectorate Wales survey, 85% said they could not get an urgent same-day appointment with a GP. The same proportion said they could not get a routine appointment when they needed it.
Asked about the service overall, 85% rated it poor. Just 15% rated it good.
The surgery is run by the Amman Tawe Partnership. Inspectors who visited on 2 June also found expired emergency equipment and medicines, and a urine sample stored in the vaccine fridge.
‘You can never get a face to face appointment with a GP’
Most consultations happen over the phone. Of those who answered, 68% said their appointment was by telephone, against 31% in person.
Only 31% said they had been offered a choice of appointment type, and 72% were not happy with the type they were given.
Among the comments patients left for inspectors, one said: “You can never get a face to face appointment with a GP.” Another wrote: “Couldn’t get an appointment. Was told to go to the hospital or pharmacist.”
One patient described leaving an appointment in tears, saying a doctor had been “very rude and offensive”.
Getting through at all was a problem for many: 72% said they could not contact the practice by phone or online when they needed to, and 79% of those with ongoing conditions said they could not easily get regular support.
Inside the consulting room, 73% did not feel listened to and 67% did not feel involved in decisions about their own care.
The nurses came out better. “Nurse led diabetic care is very good,” one patient wrote, and inspectors listed nurse-led care among the things the practice did well.
Out-of-date emergency kit and a urine sample in the vaccine fridge
The safety findings were serious enough for inspectors to demand immediate action. Some emergency equipment and medicines had passed their expiry dates, and the emergency kit was kept in a busy nursing room also used for intimate examinations.
The vaccine fridge was overstocked and disorganised, with a urine sample on its middle shelf. That was removed while inspectors were on site. They also found a large oxygen cylinder that was not secured, and a disabled toilet with no emergency pull cord.
The practice says it has since brought in a new weekly check of emergency drugs and equipment, overseen by its senior nurse, and is moving the emergency kit and defibrillator to the main hallway. It says a pull cord was ordered for the toilet straight after the inspection.
On access, staff told inspectors there were usually two to three GPs working across the partnership’s three sites on any given day, a number they said was rising with recruitment. The practice says it will review appointment availability, demand and phone activity, and remind clinicians of the importance of listening to patients.
Inspectors also found visible, supportive leadership and praised the practice’s follow-up of urgent suspected cancer referrals as noteworthy.
‘A vindication’ for residents, says MP
David Chadwick, the Welsh Liberal Democrat MP for Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe, said: “This is a damning report and a vindication of the local residents who have been raising the alarm about these services for years.”
He said complaints had been going on “since at least 2019”, adding: “The previous Labour Health Minister failed to resolve these longstanding problems, and the current Plaid Cymru Health Minister must now act.”
The partnership, which took over the Cross Hands surgery in 2024, is funded by two health boards. Mr Chadwick wants both Swansea Bay University Health Board and Hywel Dda to “take urgent action” and set out what they will do.
Jane Dodds, the Welsh Liberal Democrat Senedd Member for Brycheiniog Tawe Nedd, said the number of people who answered the survey showed “the depth of concern locally”.
She added: “Patients have waited long enough for improvements. Swansea Bay and Hywel Dda health boards must now work with the practice to address the serious issues identified by inspectors and rebuild the trust of the local community.”
Related stories from Swansea Bay News
Amman Tawe to take over Cross Hands and Tumble GP surgeries
When the partnership took on its Carmarthenshire practice in 2024.
YSTRADGYNLAIS: Hospital would lose its beds, minor injuries unit and X-ray under every option in health board shake-up
The other health fight in the upper valleys, with the same MP and MS leading the campaign.
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