People living in Mayhill and Townhill claim they are having to ring more than 100 times to get through to book an appointment at a new health centre which is part of a £2m development.
Mountain View is an integrated health centre in the heart of Mayhill that’s home to a GP surgery, chemist, food bank, Citizens Advice Bureau and family activity centre. The centre opened its doors in 2018 as the first integrated centre of its kind in Wales.
It was built to replace Mayhill surgery and the Mayhill family centre after the surgery was deemed not fit for purpose in 2007.
Read more : Dangerous offender 'ran wild' in Swansea shopping centre with knife
Swansea Bay University Health Board (SBUHB) provided funding for the GP surgery, and the Welsh Government contributed £567,000 for the family centre element. You can take a closer look inside the centre here.
The health board said some GP practices were currently reporting more calls than normal and the Mountain View health centre pointed out there were a number of ways people could get in touch with them.
Find out about coronavirus cases in your area:
But, despite the large investment, some locals are complaining that access to services at the GP clinic is notoriously poor, with some saying they had to call the surgery more than 100 times to book an appointment.
One of these is Mayhill resident and new mum, to Carson, Morgan Zachariah.
She said: "Last month my son was unwell with quite a bad ear and throat infection. He had a high temperature and had been screaming all night, which is really uncharacteristic for him because he’s a happy baby who rarely cries. The next morning, he hadn’t improved at all so I tried to call the doctor. I spent over an hour on the phone trying to call, and must have phoned at least 60 times before getting through to them."
She said the general feeling in the area was that Mountain View was a nice building which masked the reality of an NHS that was overstretched.
"All they’ve done is given it a facelift," she added.
Several weeks ago, Townhill resident Kelly Franks said she tried to call the surgery 112 times before they responded when both of her young sons became unwell.
"When I eventually got through, they told me that I simply couldn’t have called as many times as I did, then said that they would only see one of my boys. After calling 112 times, that’s really the last thing you want to hear."
She added: "I can’t help but feel that the community would have benefited more from a bigger investment in healthcare staff, rather than a new building."
A spokesperson for SBUHB confirmed that, while the old Mayhill Surgery had three GPs delivering 19 sessions a week, Mountain View had four delivering 21 sessions a week.
They also acknowledged that some practices were currently reporting more patient calls than usual, stating: "We are working closely with any GP practices which are reporting significant pressures to the health board, either through high demand or staff absence. When appropriate, there are convenient alternatives, such as the 111 symptom checker or local community pharmacies, which can offer prompt advice and treatments."
Long-term Townhill resident Joanne Thomas said services had only been tough to access since the Covid pandemic.
"I've been a resident here for 25 years and was registered with Mayhill Surgery before Mountain View opened. I've never had an issue with them, it's only been hard to access since the pandemic. The doctors and nurses there have always done an amazing job, so I can't imagine the level of stress they're under now."
The GP practice pointed out there were a number of new ways to access its services, including the online AskMyGP, MyHealthOnline, in addition to a Mountain View email address which accepted patient queries.
Those with minor ailments can also find help through the Common Ailments Scheme, which allows pharmacists to provide certain prescription-only medications without the need to see a doctor.
Get stories like this straight to your inbox with our newsletters.
