Over 100 supporters formed a human chain around the surgery on Tuesday, 24th February, in a ‘Cwtsho’r Sarn’ solidarity event designed to show the strength of feeling in the community against the closure plans. The protest came as Hywel Dda University Health Board held a drop-in engagement session in the nearby Memorial Hall, which saw hundreds of worried residents attend to voice their concerns.
Hywel Dda is currently holding an eight-week consultation on the future of the surgery, with its preferred option being to disperse the practice’s 3,000 patients to other surgeries in the area.
Organisers of the human chain, which had been planned as a highly visual show of solidarity, said they were delighted with the strong turnout. They were joined by local councillors and received backing from Senedd members including Adam Price and Cefin Campbell.
Llanelli MS Lee Waters, who has previously raised the alarm over the surgery’s future, pledged to continue advocating on behalf of patients. He said: “Local GP services matter. They’re about access, continuity of care, and supporting the health of the whole community.”
At the engagement event, residents raised concerns about the capacity of the neighbouring Coalbrook surgery in Pontyberem to absorb the extra patients, citing access issues, limited parking, and long waiting times.
Long-term patient Ffani Cattran, 77, felt that concerns about transport for those without cars were not adequately addressed. “They haven’t taken on board the transport issues and are assuming that people will be able to get lifts, which is neither fair nor reasonable,” she said. “This is a deprived area with historic health inequalities from its industrial past.”
The protests follow a decision by Carmarthenshire County Council on 25th February to demand action from the Health Board. The council passed a motion to write to the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, asking for alternatives to closure to be properly considered. The council will also write to Hywel Dda’s Chair and Chief Executive to request that a Health Impact Assessment and an Equality Impact Assessment are published and considered before any final decision is made.
The campaign’s petition to save the surgery, which has gathered approximately 3,000 signatures, is set to be considered by the Senedd’s Petitions Committee on 2nd March.
3000 patients? That’s how many will be moved to Pontyberem if it closes, there are over 4,300 patients in total.