Following the announcement by the Rt Hon Jeremy Hunt MP, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, that the Conservative Government will be opening five new medical schools in England in areas where it can be hard to recruit and attract new doctors, Janet Finch-Saunders, Assembly Member for Aberconwy, is calling on the Welsh Government to follow the Government’s lead by opening a medical school in North Wales.

Janet said:

“I have now spoken out on a number of occasions about the need for a medical school here in North Wales so to help recruit and attract medical professionals to work here.

“Undoubtedly, recruitment at Betsi Cadwalader University Health Board is a serious problem the Welsh Government just have not been able to come to grips with, meaning that huge additional pressure is being put on the remaining staff to maintain this key service.

“I was reminded of mounting seriousness of the situation with the recent announcement that Tyn Y Coed Surgery, Colwyn Bay, will be closing, leaving 1,521 patients to be allocated between other surgeries, including Penrhyn Bay. The additional pressure on this surgery is actually quite concerning as many of my constituents will know that the number of GPs there have in fact fallen over recent years!

“The reality is that my constituents here in Aberconwy have been affected by the closure of a number of GP surgeries, leaving the existing ones to try to help the patients, in addition to dealing with the increase in population being caused by the building of a number of new houses in communities such as Llandudno Junction.

“Due to a number of factors, including our ageing population, the recruitment situation and pressure on our hard working medical professionals is spiralling out of control. As our Prime Minister and Jeremy Hunt are doing for England, Carwyn Jones, First Minister, and Vaughan Gething AM, Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Services, need to make a decisive step towards addressing the recruitment crisis by implementing a long term solution by opening a new medical school in North Wales”.

ENDS

Video

FMQ - Medical Recruitment North Wales - Janet Finch-Saunders AM - 26-09-2017

Notes

Under-doctored areas to get new medical schools

AM puts pressure on Welsh Government to open a medical school in Bangor