����ý

Almost 3,000 patients at the only GP surgery in the UK's smallest city are to be transferred to other practices ahead of its closure.

Hywel Dda health board has made the decision to move them from the surgery in St Davids, Pembrokeshire, before the end of October.

The practice's only GP, Dr Stephen Riley, resigned the General Medical Services contract in April after failing to recruit new partners.

The Welsh government said it was "expanding where people can go to get advice and care fitted to their needs".

Last month, more than 500 people attended an open day held by the health board, to discuss the future of GP services and a protest was staged prior to the event.

About 2,500 of the 2,728 patients will transfer to the surgery in Solva, about 3 miles (4.8km) away, which is managed by the health board.

A further 161 are expected to transfer to Fishguard, while 28 will go to the St Thomas's practice in Haverfordwest and 26 to the town's Winch Lane practice.

Director of primary care, Jill Paterson, told a meeting on Thursday that the option of establishing a health board-managed surgery in St Davids would cost an extra £267,000 on top of the £586,000 annual cost of providing a GP service.

Ms Paterson added that people in St Davids would prefer that the practice in Solva was renamed so they could have a sense of "ownership".

She suggested the name Peninsula Practice, but the details are yet to be decided.

Preseli Pembrokeshire Member of the Senedd (MS) Paul Davies said on X: “This is a disgraceful decision and the people of St Davids deserve better."

He said it was "vital" that the Welsh government "intervenes and stops this madness so that patients can access GP services in their local community”.

Neil Wooding, chair of the health board, also told the meeting the decision about the future of GP services in St Davids had to be "affordable and sustainable".

The health board agreed to look into establishing a branch surgery in St Davids, providing about 20 hours of nurse-led care in the city and services such as phlebotomy and physiotherapy.

The Welsh government said it "greatly values the work GPs and all practice staff do every day".

"While the number of GPs in Wales is broadly stable, there has been a large increase in the number of wider practice staff in recent years," a spokesperson said, adding that it was "expanding where people can go to get advice and care fitted to their needs".