Patients at a GP surgery in Wales which is days away from closure have spoken of their worry over the impact of the plans for the future of their village and its community. A wave of practice closures has hit small towns and villages hard across Wales and hurts most in communities like Gilwern, which a few years ago had two practices and a smaller population, and by March will probably have no doctor at all.
The average age of people in Gilwern is 49 - higher than the average across Wales at 42. In a rural area of Powys poorly served by public transport, any elderly or vulnerable people among population of 2,500 will find it difficult to reach alternative surgeries in nearby Crickhowell.
"It's not just a doctor's surgery, it's an important part of the community," councillor Fay Bromfield told WalesOnline, walking through the main village street where she part owns a butcher's with her husband. The street in the centre of Gilwern is nicely busy for a week day. Fay's butcher's shares the thoroughfare with a salon, a TV shop, a chemist and two pubs among other traders - many of whom share her concern for the place if it is to lose its last surgery.
