FM attacks GP firm allegedly not paying staff

First Minister Eluned Morgan says she is "deeply concerned" about a firm which manages GP surgeries which is alleged to be leaving staff unpaid.

The Senedd heard on Tuesday that patients are struggling to get appointments in surgeries managed by eHarley Street.

Morgan said "this kind of behaviour is not good enough", threatening consequences if the situation does not improve.

The company was asked to comment. BBC Wales revealed safety and staffing concerns in November, which the company has denied.

There are calls for an inquiry into eHarley Street, which the Senedd heard manages surgeries in Caerphilly, Blaenau Gwent, Newport and Torfaen remotely from England.

Speaking in the Senedd on Tuesday Hefin David, Caerphilly Labour Member of the Senedd (MS), said patients "have noted a deterioration in services they took over; staff, including GPs, have not been paid on time".

He said Aneurin Bevan health board had not given convincing answers about the matter.

Plaid Cymru MS for South Wales East, Delyth Jewell, was worried the model "could represent privatisation of GP surgeries by the back door".

Alun Davies, Blaenau Gwent Labour MS, said: "The failure of eHarley Street is a disgrace

"My constituents and other people's constituents are finding that they're not only unable to access basic primary care services, but we're in a situation where doctors and suppliers remain unpaid and where staff are being bullied.

"We don't want an inquiry, we want action."

Morgan said "several" Senedd members had raised the issue with her.

"I think it's something we should be deeply concerned about," she said.

Jeremy Miles, the health secretary, had discussed the matter with the health board and is due to meet its chair next week, she said.

"We will not tolerate this kind of behaviour and a lack of respect for the contract that has been signed," she said.

Morgan said she was not happy with GP surgeries "effectively run at a distance".

She said the health board is providing support "during a transition period": "If things don't improve, then of course we will expect there to be a consequence."

The first minister added: "We do often find it difficult to recruit to some of these areas, so I think we've got to be realistic about who is willing to take on these practices, but in many health boards what happens is that the health boards take over the management and they employ GPs directly."

"So there are alternative models that perhaps should be explored if this one doesn't sort itself out."

The partners who run the surgeries and eHarley Street have previously said that timely care for patients "remains a top priority" and it was "offering, on average, one session of clinician time per 200 patients", which was the "agreed level of clinical cover".

They had categorically denied the concerns raised last year.

In a statement from their solicitors, the partners who run the surgeries and eHarley Street had said they operated several Welsh GP practices which "came under their management through open application processes".

They said they faced "significant financial constraints" but were "committed to addressing these challenges" to ensure practices "continue to provide high-quality care to patients while maintaining a sustainable working environment for staff".

The partners who run the surgeries and eHarley Street last year accused locum agencies of "driving up prices to unsustainable levels" in Wales, but said there was a plan "to ensure all overdue payments are made in full".

They said they had invested £383,000 in the Welsh practices but still faced "eye watering" losses".