Still no plan for future of Solva GP surgery a year on

People in a seaside village fear they could lose their doctor's surgery as a solution has yet to be found a year after the area's only GP announced her retirement.

The GP in Solva, Pembrokeshire, stopped work at the end of March this year.

Hywel Dda Health Board agreed to take over the practice for 12 months.

The health board said its priority had been "stabilising the practice" and it was working "to develop a shared vision for services".

But a working group, set up to find a long-term solution, said communication from the health board had been sparse.

Currently there are two surgeries on the St Davids peninsula, but according to a local campaign group the population there is too small to sustain both.

Susan Denman, who is leading the Save Solva Surgery Working Group, said "a conversation is needed about the future".

"We're a little bit worried," she said.

"Will these surgeries need to merge? Will there be one at all here? We need answers to those questions."

Ms Denman added the Peninsula Stakeholder Group, set up by the health board, had met once over the past year.

Luci Chapman, a patient at the surgery, said it would be a "disaster" to lose it, adding: "The transport situation is not sufficient to travel elsewhere, even if you can use the public transport.

"It would be an absolute disaster. No two ways about it."

She said the health board takeover was always "seen as a stopgap" with people in Solva "ready to talk and discuss" the future.

"There's a wealth of knowledge and background in the community here, that could be useful to the health board in discussing what a new model might look like," she said.

"But we feel that in a year, nothing really has moved forward."

There are also concerns about how much money is being spent to run the surgery.

Paul Davies MS, who represents Preseli Pembrokeshire, said: "Managing a practice like this must actually cost the health board more than if they had a normal practice.

"That's why we now need to see this moving forward, we need to see progress as soon as possible as far as the local health board is concerned."

John Evans, Pembrokeshire county director at Hywel Dda University Health Board, said: "We are continuing to work with the Solva Surgery Working Group, St David's Surgery and Community representatives to develop a shared vision for services to support patients across this very rural area.

"Our priority in recent months has been stabilising the practice, supporting the team and developing the right skill mix.

"At a time when both GP practices are under pressure, it is important that we maintain our focus on the longer-term picture of how we develop sustainable services."