Campaigners who fought to save a Pontyates GP surgery have backed the search for a new team to run it long term.
The Save Sarn Surgery Community Working Group says it welcomes Hywel Dda University Health Board’s decision to seek expressions of interest from potential providers for Meddygfa’r Sarn.
The group is now encouraging healthcare professionals to consider taking on the practice.
The health board has said it will explore whether a new or existing GP provider could take on the practice through a General Medical Services contract.
The surgery will continue to operate as a managed practice in the meantime, with registered patients told to access services as they do now.
Any formal arrangement would follow an open procurement process under national Provider Selection Regime rules, should the board decide it is a viable way forward.
The Save Sarn Surgery group says the aim is for an independent contractor to take over the practice from April 2027.
The move follows a major U-turn last month, when the board set aside its plan to close the surgery and agreed instead to explore independent GP provision for its 4,350 patients.
That decision came after a four-month community campaign against the original proposal to disperse patients to neighbouring practices.
Clare Treharne, speaking for the working group, said the community had shown how much the surgery mattered to local people.
“We welcome the health board’s decision to seek expressions of interest and we want to support that process in any way we can,” she said.
She said there was a real opportunity not only to secure the surgery’s future, but to build a model of community-focused care reflecting wider ambitions across Wales to deliver healthcare closer to home.
The group said recent board discussions had recognised that the future of healthcare in Pontyates was about more than securing a GP contract.
Board members had spoken about the importance of accessibility, community engagement and shaping services in partnership with local people, the group added.
The working group believes the surgery could become an example of how providers, communities and public bodies can work together on sustainable primary care.
It is also calling for closer collaboration between organisations involved in healthcare, planning, transport, housing and community development, to ensure future decisions reflect the long-term needs of the area.
The group acknowledged that many residents remain concerned about the surgery’s future should a new provider not be found.
For that reason, it said, every effort should be made to highlight the strengths and opportunities of the practice.
Healthcare professionals or organisations interested in the opportunity are advised to follow the information issued by the health board through the formal procurement process.
The working group said it would also be happy to share information about the community and local support for the practice, and can be contacted through its Save Sarn Surgery Facebook page.
