November 10, 2026 - 184 views
The chief executive of Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board says a review of urgent care services in north-west Wales is intended to improve access to treatment, not reduce it, following concerns that three hospital-based centres could close.
Carol Shillabeer has issued a statement seeking to reassure communities about the future of Urgent Primary Care Centres (UPCCs) at Ysbyty Penrhos Stanley in Holyhead, Ysbyty Gwynedd in Bangor and Ysbyty Alltwen in Tremadog.
The statement follows reports that the health board is considering ending the service at the three sites by March 2027, citing financial pressures and difficulties recruiting and retaining staff. The possibility has prompted concern from local politicians and community representatives, particularly in Anglesey, where Ysbyty Penrhos Stanley is the island's main hospital.
The centres were established in 2022 to provide same-day treatment for people with urgent medical problems who do not necessarily need to attend an emergency department. They are not walk-in clinics. Patients are normally referred by their GP surgery, or following assessment at an emergency department, and may receive a telephone consultation before being offered a face-to-face appointment.
The service is designed to provide an alternative for people who need medical attention quickly but whose condition does not require emergency hospital treatment. Teams can include GPs, advanced nurse practitioners and physiotherapists.
Ms Shillabeer said the current service accounts for less than one per cent of GP practice appointments in the areas it serves. However, she said the health board was reviewing how best to provide same-day urgent care across North Wales, rather than simply deciding whether to retain the existing arrangements.
She said: “We want to reassure local communities that our aim is to improve access to same-day urgent care, not reduce it.”
She also stressed that there were no plans to close the Minor Injuries Units or community hospitals, despite speculation on social media.
The chief executive said the review would consider a number of possible approaches, including a developing model known as Same Day Urgent Community Care, the role of community pharmacies and the possibility of Urgent Treatment Centres.
In simple terms, the health board is looking at whether urgent treatment could be organised differently, with patients directed to the most appropriate service closer to home, rather than relying on the current UPCC arrangements.
Community pharmacies already provide advice and treatment for a range of common conditions, while Urgent Treatment Centres can offer assessment and treatment for a wider range of urgent problems that do not require an emergency department. The proposed Same Day Urgent Community Care model is intended to bring different community-based services together to improve access to timely care.
The health board says patients, local communities, staff and partner organisations will have opportunities to contribute before any recommendations or decisions are made.
The debate comes against a backdrop of significant pressure on urgent and emergency services across North Wales. Betsi Cadwaladr recorded more than 179,000 attendances at its three emergency departments during 2024/25, an average of almost 500 a day. Its nine Minor Injuries Units also dealt with more than 65,000 attendances during the year.
The UPCCs were intended to help relieve some of that pressure by treating patients who need urgent attention without sending them unnecessarily to A&E.
The health board has not yet set out what any alternative arrangements would look like for patients currently referred to the three centres, or how access would be maintained in communities where travelling to another hospital or treatment location could be difficult.
Ms Shillabeer said the review would identify how to provide services that were equitable, sustainable and of high quality across North Wales. No final recommendations or decisions have yet been made.
