Two GP Surgeries in Rhondda Cynon Taf to Close After Health Board Approval

Two GP surgeries in Rhondda Cynon Taf will close after members of the health board approved a proposal.
At a board meeting of Cwm Taf Morgannwg Health Board on July 25, members approved a proposal from Taff Vale medical practice to permanently close its two branch surgeries at Cilfynydd and Ynysybwl.
Taff Vale medical practice made an application to Cwm Taf Morgannwg Health Board in September, 2023, to close two of its four branch surgery sites located in Cilfynydd and Ynysybwl.
The main reasons for the application from Taf Vale included that it had experienced increasing difficulties in recruiting and retaining GPs and that fewer sites made the practice a more attractive place to work due to a more supported and less isolated working environment.
Another reason was that a reduction in the number of sites would lead to the longer-term sustainability of the practice through co-locating staff on fewer sites.
The application also mentioned the ability to improve access to same day urgent care and said that both premises required considerable costs associated with building maintenance.
The health board report said that of the total patient population in Ynysybwl (approximately 4,581) nearly 66% were registered with other GP practices whose practice area included Ynysybwl and Coed-y-Cwm.
And of the total patient population in Cilfynydd (just under 3,000) nearly 41% were registered with other practices whose practice area included Cilfynydd.
It said that it was unusual for a medical practice with the number of patients it had registered to run three sites let alone five sites as it provided many more operational challenges and, with rising premises costs, added expense that could be better directed to ensuring quality services.
Taff Vale Practice is an independent contractor commissioned to provide
general medical services to its whole registered population. Their
population covers a large practice area comprising 16,056 patients
A spokesperson for the health board said: “In reaching their decision, the Board of CTMUHB recognised the challenges faced by the practice as well as the concerns shared by the public through the practice’s consultation programme.
“Our board meeting provided an opportunity to hear from the practice itself, as well as from representatives of the local communities and independent board members on the potential impact of these closures and the need for ongoing monitoring and management of this by the practice and the health board.
“We appreciate that any change to services can be worrying for patients, and we will work closely with Taff Vale medical practice to ensure this change is communicated effectively and carefully to local people.
“We are also committed to supporting the practice as it puts in place the wider improvements to primary care services described in its application. This will include the ongoing involvement of local people and their representatives to ensure their experiences inform the ways in which local services are developed and accessed in the future.” ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

By BBC LDRS ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​