JANET Finch-Saunders MS for Aberconwy visited Craig Y Don Medical Practice in Llandudno to learn more about the pressures being faced by primary care workers.

Mrs Finch-Saunders met with Dr Paul Emmett and Practice Manager Sue Fairburn, to further examine how to support the resumption of services at practices in the region.

The visit highlighted how the surgery have implemented a new telephone system to better handle the volume of calls that the practice receives daily, while they are also actively training their receptionists as care navigators which will help them re-direct patients to more appropriate services where required, such as opticians and dentists.

It was also outlined that services such as the Ambulatory Care Unit at the Llandudno General Hospital could be of great assistance to primary care providers as it allowed them to send those patients who required additional investigative work but may not need hospital admission.

Mrs Finch-Saunders said: “I was pleased to have written to fourteen local practices and undertake virtual meetings with stakeholders to see how I could offer greater support.

“It was a real privilege to have been kindly invited to the Craig Y Don Medical Practice to see first-hand how their staff are working tirelessly to deal with demand.

“This visit underlined that our healthcare professionals remain incredibly concerned by the revelation that no patients were seen at the Ambulatory Care Unit in 2021.

“It appears that the reduction of these services have had a significant impact on our GP Practices, potentially and needlessly increasing number of patients admitted to hospital.

“Whilst I join with the Practice in welcoming the announcement of the new transitional ward at Llandudno Hospital, given that the scheme is scheduled to last only for 6 months, it is clear that it is merely a sticking plaster to a more entrenched issue.

“If we are to better address demand on our GPs, it is vital that the ACU reopens to patients at the earliest possible opportunity.”

Meanwhile, the MS for Aberconwy has launched an online healthcare survey to seek the views and experiences of her constituents on accessing health services.

Constituents can submit their views by heading to: janetfinchsaunders.org.uk/healthsurvey.