A GP surgery which shut to the public at the start of the pandemic is still not offering a full service 16 months on, it has been revealed.
Taff Vale Practice in Cilfynydd, near Pontypridd, closed its doors in March 2020 so that shielding staff could operate out of it.
Since its closure patients who would normally go to the surgery for appointments have been told to visit one of four other branches based in Rhydyfelin, Ynysybwl, Glyncoch, or Dewi Sant Hospital in Pontypridd.
It is understood that the lack of a local practice has left some community members "furious".
Joel James, Welsh Conservative MS for South Wales Central, said: "As a result, those residents who don't have access to a car have had to rely on infrequent buses services with multiple changes.
"But confusingly, it seems the practice has been opened the entirety of the pandemic, yet not to patients – with it being used to redirect calls.
"Both the Community Health Council and Cwm Taf Morgannwg UHB have met with the practice but there seems to have been very little communicated outcome to this, and it is this lack of communication and engagement from the practice that has upset residents the most.
"To be fair to the practice, they did organise flu vaccinations in the nearby community centre, but this only really raised further questions as to why the surgery still remained closed to patients."
The MS said there are other patients across Wales who are currently struggling to access face-to-face GP appointments as waiting lists "spiral out of control" and mental health concerns escalate.
"A record one in five people are now stuck on a waiting list experiencing unnecessary pain and anguish whilst they wait for routine surgery and potential cancer treatments," he added.
Cwm Taf Morgannwg UHB confirmed that the surgery had been shut since the start of the pandemic so shielding staff across the five Taff Vale branches could work there but minimise their contact with others.
It is now reopening twice a week on Tuesday and Friday mornings, with many patients still accessing appointments elsewhere.
Before the pandemic the health board said emergency GP appointments would often be offered across one of the five branches, rather than specifically from the Cilfynydd practice. The health board said the situation is being reviewed.
In plenary on June 9, MS Joel James asked whether Wales' new health minister Eluned Morgan could intervene on behalf of residents to get the surgery up and running again.
In response, Baroness Morgan said it was important to reduce face-to-face contact at GP surgeries across the country during the pandemic to stop the spread of infection.
"New technology has been quite beneficial in certain circumstances, and certainly some patients have found that the e-consult approach and triaging on telephones has been quite helpful, but it's important that when patients need face-to-face consultations we need to facilitate that," she said.
"We are hearing about various cases throughout Wales and we are keeping an eye on that situation. I will look specifically at the Taff Vale Practice. If there's no opportunity at all to see a GP then that does raise some questions."
