14/11/2022
Dear Mr Shutt
Access to GP Services
Thank you for your recent email dated 19th October 2022.
As Members of the Council we are well aware that there are issues in accessing GP Services in Pembrokeshire and I am sure that you appreciate that all Members and the vast majority of the Council’s workforce both live and work in the county.
My understanding is that you are correct in stating that the Public Sector Equality Act’s duties apply to Hywel Dda University Health Board (HDdUHB) and that these duties extend to GP services that it procures (or GP services that it provides directly). However the County Council does do not have a role in enforcing or regulating how bodies such as HDdUHB meet their Equality Act duties.
For your information the Council has undertaken scrutiny of a range of aspects of the services delivered by the HDdUHB in the past and will continue to do so. Following a resolution at Council in July 2014, HDdUHB made a presentation to Council at its October 2014 meeting on the health services, including GP services. Twelve further presentations by HDdUHB to Council followed, the last being in December 2017. More recently, following a referral from Council 3 March 2022, Social Care Overview & Scrutiny Committee considered a report on the future of Withybush Hospital. The Social Care Overview & Scrutiny Committee has also considered other reports that touch on GP services, for instance, on 7 Nov 2021 when discussing a multi-functional space that will include GP services in Fishguard as well as on 22 June 2021 when discussing intermediate care. The specific issue of access to GPs has not been formally considered however.
In your email you referenced the Pembrokeshire Public Services Board (PSB) and its well-being assessment. The Pembrokeshire PSB’s well-being assessment covers all aspects of well-being and there isn’t the space to go into detail on issues but problems with GP services are alluded to. See quote below:
Much of the feedback focused on current service provision and the additional challenges posed by providing services in rural areas, including digital access and access to transport. Improvements in NHS dental services, GP services and mental health support were also a common theme.
However neither the Pembrokeshire PSB, nor the related Partnerships Panel, are appropriate forums to scrutinise a function like GP services, the delivery of which is the responsibility of only one of the PSBs members. In order for an item to be considered by the PSB, it needs to relate to the work of the partnership as a whole This guidance is given on our website (my emphasis).
Members of the public are encouraged to put forward questions for consideration by the PSB. Please note that such questions must relate to the statutory functions or work programme of the PSB. Questions relating to the work of individual organisations will not receive a response from the PSB but will be forwarded to the individual organisation as appropriate.
However, such issues can fall within the remit of the Councils’ Social Care Overview and Scrutiny Committee, and following a discussion with the Chair of the Committee, Cllr David Bryan, he is interested in putting the issues that you highlight in your email onto the Committee’s Forward Work programme. If you wished to liaise with him directly, his email is cllr.David.Bryan@pembrokeshire.gov.uk and I have copied him in to this response.
Finally I would like to thank you for getting in touch with the Council. It is your democratic right to ask local politicians to champion causes. Raising with members via an open letter as you have done is one way, but you can also:
Raise a question at Full Council. Details are on our website. https://www.pembrokeshire.gov.uk/councillors-and-committees/public-questions-at-full-council-guidance-notes
Organise a Petition. Details on our website. https://www.pembrokeshire.gov.uk/how-to-get-involved/petitions
Request the issue is considered at an Overview & Scrutiny Committee. Details are on our website. https://www.pembrokeshire.gov.uk/overview-and-scrutiny/public-engagement.
Public Engagement
