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Posted: Fri 27th Mar 2026
The Senedd’s Health and Social Care Committee has called for “bold action” to save general practice in Wales, warning that years of falling investment and a shrinking workforce have pushed the sector to a critical point.
The committee published its inquiry report on Friday, saying the incoming Welsh Government must shift spending back towards primary care or risk demand continuing to outstrip capacity across the NHS.
General practice now handles around 90% of all NHS contacts in Wales, with GPs managing 29 million calls and 18 million attendances in the past year for a population of 3.3 million.
General Medical Services funding as a share of NHS Wales gross spending fell from 8.3% in 2014-15 to 5.7% in 2024-25, according to NHS Wales summarised accounts cited in Welsh Government evidence to the inquiry.
Total NHS Wales spending rose from £7.4bn to £10.16bn over the same period, with the majority of the additional money going into hospital and secondary care rather than general practice.
The number of GP surgeries in Wales has fallen from 516 in 2002 to 374 at the time the committee gathered evidence, according to figures from the Royal College of General Practitioners Cymru Wales.
The report also found that the morning rush for appointments, widely known as the 8am scramble, remains one of the most common frustrations for patients across Wales.
Age Cymru told the committee that older people are being left without access to the care they need under the current booking system.
Younger patients said the requirement to call within a set window was inaccessible for those with work or caring commitments.
The committee has called on the next Welsh Government to strengthen GP access standards and reduce reliance on time-limited booking windows.
The inquiry also found that the Carr-Hill formula, which determines how core funding is allocated to GP practices, has not been reviewed since 2004 and no longer reflects the healthcare needs of the Welsh population.
Practices in the most deprived communities receive around 5% less funding, equivalent to up to £60,000 a year, than practices elsewhere, despite higher levels of illness and greater demand, according to evidence from Deep End Cymru, a network of GP practices serving Wales’s most deprived areas.
Peter Fox MS, chair of the Health and Social Care Committee, said: “General practice and primary care are the cornerstone of our NHS.
“If we are to ease the growing pressures across the whole health system, we must shift towards prevention and ensure people can access services closer to home.
“Delivering a truly community-focused model will require bold action, and we must restore patients’ trust in their local services.”
Dr Gareth Oelmann, chair of the BMA’s Welsh GP Committee, said in a statement the report was a step forward for the BMA’s Save Our Surgeries campaign.
“Years of funding cuts have had damaging consequences, with surgery closures, recruitment uncertainty, and a burnt-out workforce making it even more challenging for patients to access care,” he said.
Dr Rowena Christmas MBE, chair of RCGP Cymru Wales, said: “It makes sense for the patient, the wider NHS and the taxpayer to invest in general practice.”
The committee’s 18 recommendations include a phased shift of services into the community with a period of dual funding, an urgent review of the Carr-Hill formula with published timescales, a national workforce plan, and improved GP access standards.
The incoming Welsh Government has been asked to write to the committee’s successor within 100 days of taking office to set out its plans.
The Senedd election takes place on 7 May 2026.
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