Betsi Cadwaladr proposes closure of three Gwynedd urgent care centres

Plans to close urgent primary care services at three hospitals would have “dire consequences”, objectors say.

Betsi Cadawaladr health board has confirmed it is consulting on a proposal to end urgent primary care centre, external (UPCC) services at Ysbyty Penrhos Stanley in Holyhead, Ysbyty Alltwen in Tremadog and Ysbyty Gwynedd in Bangor.

It said access to urgent care was a “priority” but the centres had faced financial pressures and ongoing recruitment difficulties.

If approved, they would be shut by 31 March 2027, but the move has sparked opposition, including claims it would cause additional pressure on GP practices and emergency departments – the services they were established to ease pressure on.

The UPCCs in Gwynedd county were set up in 2022 and are staffed by advanced nurse practitioners, GPs and physiotherapists, who treat patients with urgent health problems on the same day.

Llinos Medi, Plaid Cymru Member of Parliament (MP) for Ynys Môn, Helen Jenner, leader of Reform Wales and Member of Senedd (MS) for Bangor Conwy Môn, and Conservative MS Janet Finch-Saunders, who also represents Bangor Conwy Môn, are among those who have written to Betsi Cadawaladr University Health Board (BCUHB).

They are particularly concerned about the potential loss of another service at Ysbyty Penrhos Stanley, which previously lost its four-bed hospice unit operated by St David’s Hospice in 2025.

Finch-Saunders said: “These centres help to relieve pressure on our accident and emergency departments when people are unable to get an appointment with their GP but require immediate care.

“It is vital that BCUHB supports these centres to remain open. Without them, existing waiting times could increase, potentially leading to delays in treatment.”