Betsi Cadwaladr consults on ending urgent care at three hospitals by March 2027

Three hospitals in scope

The proposal covers Ysbyty Penrhos Stanley in Holyhead, Ysbyty Alltwen in Tremadog and Ysbyty Gwynedd in Bangor. A letter from Keith Amos, the board's head of service for managed practices (west), said approval had been given to start a formal organisational change consultation to cease the West urgent primary care centre (UPCC) service from 31 March 2027, the North Wales Chronicle reported.

The board said access to urgent care was a priority but the centres had faced financial pressures and ongoing recruitment and retention difficulties, with the service increasingly reliant on temporary staffing. The centres are staffed by GPs, advanced nurse practitioners and physiotherapists, and treat patients with urgent health problems on the same day, the BBC reported.

The three centres opened in 2022 after the board secured funding from the Welsh Government, the North Wales Chronicle reported. UPCCs have been set up across Wales since 2020 to ease pressure on GP practices and emergency departments, the Guardian reported. The move would not affect UPCC services at Mold Community Hospital or Wrexham Maelor Hospital, the BBC reported.

Objections from across parties

Gwynedd MS Beca Brown and Liz Saville Roberts, the area's MP, wrote to chief executive Carol Shillabeer about Ysbyty Alltwen. They said the proposal had caused significant anxiety among residents who rely on the centre, particularly older people, families with young children and those who face difficulties travelling further afield for treatment, the Cambrian News reported. They asked the board to demonstrate the evidence behind the plan and to hold a transparent and comprehensive consultation before any changes, and requested an urgent meeting with board representatives.

Janet Finch-Saunders, Conservative MS for Bangor Conwy Môn, said the centres relieve pressure on accident and emergency departments when people cannot get a GP appointment but need immediate care. She said that without them existing waiting times could increase, potentially leading to delays in treatment. She also wrote to Wales' Cabinet Minister for Health and Care, Mabon ap Gwynfor MS, asking him to intervene to keep the Holyhead centre open, the North Wales Chronicle reported.

Holyhead county councillor Jeff Evans said closing the facility would have "dire consequences for the community and patients" and asked where people would go instead, the BBC reported. Llinos Medi, Plaid Cymru MP for Ynys Môn, and Helen Jenner, leader of Reform Wales and MS for Bangor Conwy Môn, are among others who have written to the board. Elwyn Vaughan MS said residents from as far as Bro Dysynni use Ysbyty Alltwen and any proposal must take account of the rurality of the area and the distances involved, the Cambrian News reported.

Board under special measures

The board has been in special measures since 2015 over concerns about care quality, patient safety and leadership, the Guardian reported. The BBC reported that the board had spent nine years in special measures when it was given a "final chance" to improve in June. Ysbyty Penrhos Stanley previously lost its four-bed hospice unit, operated by St David's Hospice, in 2025.

The Guardian reported that the board serves about a quarter of Wales's population, that NHS spending takes up nearly half of the Welsh government's £27.5bn budget, and that six of Wales's seven health boards were recently found to have failed in their statutory duty to break even over a three-year period as they struggle to control day-to-day costs.

Next steps

Shillabeer said access to urgent and emergency care remained a priority and the board was reviewing current UPCC provision and engaging with staff. "The outcome of the review and the potential future approach will be developed in the coming months," she said.

The Welsh Government said decisions about the configuration of local NHS services are the responsibility of the health board, which is best placed to assess the needs of its population. It said it would expect NHS Wales organisations to engage openly and transparently with stakeholders in line with national guidance.

Finch-Saunders encouraged healthcare workers and residents to make their views known, the North Wales Chronicle reported.