Welsh Government urged to ‘call time on failed GP experiment’

Senedd Members urged the Welsh Government to “call time” on the “failed experiment” of a private company running GP services across Gwent.

Labour’s Alun Davies sounded the alarm about Leicestershire-based eHarleyStreet, which runs surgeries in Caerphilly, Blaenau Gwent, Newport and Torfaen, during health questions on January 15.

In Caerphilly County Borough, eHarleyStreet runs Gelligaer Surgery and Bargoed’s Bryntirion Surgery.

He told the Senedd: “There’s a crisis in Blaenau Gwent and other parts of the Aneurin Bevan health board area. There is a crisis of access to basic GP services created by eHarleyStreet – a private company that has been brought in and has failed my constituents….

“But not only are they failing their patients, they’re failing their staff. They’re not paying the pension contributions they should be paying.

“I’ve spoken to suppliers in the last few days who also have bills unpaid.”

‘Scandal’

Mr Davies, who represents Blaenau Gwent, added: “This is a company that can neither deliver services nor pay its bills. Surely it’s time to call time on this failed experiment.”

Natasha Asghar warned Labour’s “botched” budget decision to increase employer national insurance contributions will cost GPs in Wales about £7m.

The Conservative said the country has lost more than 100 practices since 2012 as she called for GPs to be exempt from the UK Government’s tax hike.

Peredur Owen Griffiths, who also represents South Wales East, urged the Welsh Government to intervene over eHarleyStreet.

The Plaid Cymru politician said: “This is a scandal … I’ve been in touch with some of the GPs, the 40-plus GPs, that are now being affected by this. It needs addressing at government level and not leaving the health board to its own devices in remedying this.”

‘Worrying’

Mr Owen Griffiths warned of a “worrying pattern”, saying one GP and his former partner are owed more than £300,000 from contracts that have not been fulfilled by eHarley Street.

He added: “This is public money that’s being spent. It has been spent in good faith by the health board, going to eHarleyStreet but then not paying people. It’s something that needs to be addressed and needs to be addressed very, very quickly.”

His colleague Delyth Jewell told the Senedd that patients deserve better.

“I’m concerned about the lack of clinical governance in some of these practices,” she said. “The company eHarleyStreet seems to be working to a model that relies on nurses and nurse practitioners leading care rather than GPs.

“Now, I’ve been sent information that on one day, in one of the surgeries affected, only one GP was present for a practice of over 11,000 patients.

“Usually a practice like that would have five or six…. Because so many GPs are, perhaps understandably now, refusing to work in these practices … that could surely get worse.”

‘Unacceptable’

Wales’ health secretary Jeremy Miles told Senedd Members that he made his views clear in a meeting with the health board last week.

Mr Miles said: “Contractors for GP services should comply with the obligations which they take on. It is unacceptable for staff not to be paid. It is unacceptable for suppliers not to be paid … and clinical cover should be provided at all surgeries.

“I expect the board to put in place arrangements to ensure these requirements are complied with, and the board has acknowledged that in the discussions I have had with it.”

He added: “There are requirements in the contracts that GPs take on from the health board that stipulate outcomes … clinical cover at all the locations … is absolutely essential.”

Mr Miles, who was appointed in September, said he would be happy to update the Senedd when he has received further information he is seeking from the health board.