COMMUNITY campaigners are fighting to save a GP practice and the closure of vital health services.

Residents of Plas Madoc and Llangollen are fighting to save the Plas Madoc branch surgery, as proposals soon to be submitted to the health board would see it permanently closed.

The GP surgery on Plas Madoc has been closed since the beginning of the pandemic due to ‘lack of space’ and ‘inadequate ventilation’.

Patients would have to travel to Llangollen or Glyn Ceiriog for their appointments.

Concerns have been raised by community group ‘We Are Plas Madoc’, which is a member group of local community organising charity TCC (Trefnu Cymunedol Cymru / Together Creating Communities).

Chair of We Are Plas Madoc Anne Salisbury said: “The news of the potential closure of Plas Madoc GP Surgery is devastating for many of our residents and neighbouring communities.

“We have been asking for improved health facilities in the Plas Madoc Community for many years so to hear that we are now at risk of losing access to this service is a real blow.

“We appreciate the pressures faced by the practice and the fact that the current building may not be suitable so surely we should be looking at how we can make improvements to enable this service to continue.”

We Are Plas Madoc and TCC have asked residents living on both Plas Madoc and in Llangollen for feedback.

So far, residents are opposed to the closure which they say would have a ‘devastating impact’ and concerns over additional travel costs.

The residents’ campaign has been supported by Llyr Gruffydd MS, who said: "While I understand the pressures faced by the practice, it is very concerning given the numbers of people affected in the Plas Madoc area that are without transport and the poor bus service that exists locally. That's in addition to the high costs involved in reaching Llangollen by bus.

"Plas Madoc is one of the most deprived wards in Wales and that inevitably leads to complex health demands. I would ask what impact assessment the GP practice and BCUHB has or will have carried out prior to making any final decision?"

Mr Gruffydd highlighted a wider problem in the Wrexham area about GP services closing or centralising.

He added: "There's a broader concern also about GP surgeries in the Wrexham area either centralising services (such as in Plas Madoc, Forge Road and Gresford) or withdrawing them altogether. This should not have come as a shock to the health board as the Royal College of General Practitioners had forecast as far back as 2015 that a third of GPs were looking to retire within five years. Plaid Cymru warned about this and it's now happening, yet the health board doesn't seem to have had a long-term workforce plan in place.

"Added together, these amount to a serious challenge to primary care services in the Wrexham area and that also has knock-on effects for other elements of NHS services such as the Emergency Department in the Maelor and pressures on ambulances.

"I therefore support the case for retaining GP services in Plas Madoc in a more suitable building but I think it's also important that we see this in the wider context of needing greater investment in GP services and primary care, which is the first port of call for the vast majority of NHS users. I have written to BCUHB's chief executive in the hope that this is being addressed."

To share your views on the issue, visit https://tinyurl.com/plasmadocclosure or contact North Wales Community Health Council on 01248 679284 by 6th August.

The Leader previously reported the intense pressures being faced at GP practises right across North Wales.

This is resulting in 'diabolical' waiting times and patients finding it difficult to get an appointment.

Gill Harris, Deputy Chief Executive & Executive Director of Nursing & Midwifery at Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, said: “As an independent contractor, partners at Llangollen Health Centre are responsible for carrying out comprehensive engagement with their patients over proposals to permanently close Plas Madoc surgery.

"As part of their application to the health board, the practice must undertake a detailed Equality Impact Assessment and demonstrate the steps it has taken to consider and mitigate any adverse consequences for patients. All feedback received as part of the consultation will be carefully considered by our Primary Care Panel."