An MP has warned that GP surgeries are unable to fill key staff roles due to a National Insurance hike.

Plaid Cymru Member of Parliament for Dwyfor Meirionnydd, Liz Saville Roberts, has spoken out against Labour's recent increase in employer National Insurance contributions.

She says that some GP surgeries in her constituency, including Treflan Surgery in Pwllheli, are struggling to afford essential staff due to the hike.

The surgery faces an additional £19,000 in costs following measures introduced in the Budget.

During Wales Questions in the House of Commons, Mrs Saville Roberts said: "Treflan Surgery in Pwllheli in my constituency cannot afford to fill key staff roles.

"Budget measures will cost them an extra £19,000."

She also said that she has been contacted by several GP practices in her constituency who have similar concerns.

The MP said: "I have serious concerns about the impact of the increase in National Insurance employer contributions on some GP practices in my Dwyfor Meirionnydd constituency, many of whom are already struggling due to historic chronic underfunding."

This increase in costs is a result of a rise in employers’ National Insurance contributions introduced in the autumn Budget by Chancellor Rachel Reeves.

The NHS and public sector are exempt from the tax rise, but this does not cover private care homes, hospices providing NHS services, or GPs operating as businesses.

The GPs' concerns are echoed by the British Medical Association (BMA) in Wales, which has stated that GP funding has decreased by over 2.6 per cent of the Welsh Government’s budget since 2005.

Mrs Saville Roberts said: "GP practices are already struggling to afford to recruit the staff they need to meet patient demand, so any additional barrier to recruitment will further compromise the delivery of services.

"The UK government must urgently rethink this policy."

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: "We have taken tough decisions to fix the foundations so a £22 billion boost for the NHS and social care could be announced at the Budget.

"This Government is committed to recruiting over 1,000 newly qualified GPs by cutting red tape so patients can get the care they need."

The department also stated that NHS England is working to address training delays to ensure the health service has enough staff for the future.

They said: "The NHS is broken, and the Secretary of State has been clear he wants to work with doctors to get it back on its feet so it works for patients and staff."

The rise in employer National Insurance contributions could have far-reaching repercussions across both health and social care settings, according to Mrs Saville Roberts.