Health

Latest data shows NHS in Wales is ‘creaking at the seams’

Published

3 months ago

October 24, 2024

NHS performance data released on Thursday, October 23, contained more bad news for the Welsh Government.

The number of open patient pathways increased from 796,631 in July to 800,163 in August, the highest figure on record and equivalent to one in four of the Welsh population.

Two-year waits increased again for the fifth consecutive month to 24,193 in Wales.
By the end of August, the average (median) time patients waited for treatment was 23 weeks, an increase of 1.1 weeks from the previous month.

Only 49% of red calls (the most serious) received an emergency/ambulance response within eight minutes in September, a fall of 2.8 percentage points since August.

Performance against the 62-day target for patients starting cancer treatment was 56.5% in August.

As Eluned Morgan’s administration continues to struggle with the legacy of poor service delivery and failures to meet performance targets, her successor as Health Minister, Jeremy Miles, hunted for light amid the gloom.

On the same day that the Welsh Government released the performance data, Mr Miles announced £28m in extra funding to help health boards cut the longest waits.

The Cabinet Secretary for Health claimed, “This new funding will pay for more evening and weekend appointments, high-volume clinics, and regional work to target the longest waits in specialities such as orthopaedics, ophthalmology, general surgery and gynaecology.”

The money is certainly needed.

Speaking about the performance data, Mr Miles said: “Despite record levels of demand across the sector, today’s figures show some progress in both diagnostics and therapies, as well as an increase in performance against the 62-day cancer target to 56.5%.”

You know things are bad when being below two-thirds of the way to hitting a performance target is spun as good news.

Mr Miles highlighted that urgent and emergency care services were under pressure, with the second highest daily number of ‘red’ (immediately life-threatening) calls reported on record, and sustained pressure at emergency departments.

Mr Miles tried adding context to increases in ambulance response times by adding that the Ambulance Service responded to the second-highest number of people in the red category in eight minutes ever. However, there was no getting away from a decline against targets set by the Welsh Government.

Mr Miles concluded: “We recognise more work needs to be done to support people with urgent care needs in the community and to improve the timeliness of discharge home to help reduce long stays in ambulances and emergency departments.”

Meanwhile, speaking to BBC Wales, Mr Miles’s boss said she was asking for extra NHS funding in Rachel Reeves’s first budget as Chancellor of the Exchequer.

The First Minister told BBC Wales Live: “I’m really keen to see an injection of money for the NHS in England because we will then get a significant amount of money that will come to Wales as a consequence of that.”

Although that’s superficially good news, regardless of how much money is allocated to the NHS in England, the Welsh Government sets its own budget from the Treasury’s block grant.

That means increases in funding for the NHS in England will not necessarily mean an identical percentage increase in funding for the NHS in Wales.

That is down to Welsh ministers and their priorities.

Opposition parties in the Senedd are likely to press the Welsh Government to spend much more on health, bearing in mind its fragile state in Wales, while cutting spending on “nice to have” projects to bolster essential public services.

Sam Rowlands MS, Welsh Conservative Shadow Health Minister, was scathing about the performance data: “As NHS waiting lists continue to soar, Labour has proven itself as the party of broken promises.

“The additional cash that Baroness Morgan is pleading for will be too little too late and is a testament to Labour’s failure to prioritise the Welsh NHS. Crucially, any cash won’t be coupled with the vital reforms or long-term thinking we need to bear down on these excessive waits.

“Only the Welsh Conservatives have a plan to roll out surgical, diagnostic and care hubs to ease the pressure on hospitals and to recruit and retain healthcare workers with a tuition fee refund.”

Health

Hywel Dda Health Board announces Community Vaccination Centres

Published

2 days ago

January 28, 2025

Tom Sinclair

HYWEL Dda University Health Board is organizing pop-up community vaccine centres to make it easier for eligible individuals to access their flu and COVID-19 vaccines.

To check your eligibility for the flu and/or COVID-19 vaccine:

Visit: phw.nhs.wales
Contact the health board: 0300 303 8322 (Option 1)
Email: [email protected]

If you are eligible, you can either drop in at one of the centres listed below or book an appointment using the details above.

New clinics are being arranged for February. Stay updated by visiting the health board’s webpage:
Seasonal Flu Vaccinations

Vaccination Centres and Schedules

Carmarthenshire

Carmarthen Athletic RFC
Athletic Park, Johnstown, Carmarthen, SA31 3QY

Monday, January 27: 9:30am–4:45pm
Tuesday, January 28: 9:30am–4:45pm
Wednesday, January 29: 9:30am–4:45pm
Thursday, January 30: 9:30am–4:45pm

Llandeilo Fawr Civic Hall
17 Crescent Road, Llandeilo, SA19 6HW

Friday, January 31: 10:00am–4:45pm

Pontyberem Memorial Hall
Coalbrook Road, Pontyberem, Llanelli, SA15 5HU

Tuesday, February 4: 9:30am–4:30pm

Llandovery RFC
Church Bank Playing Fields, Llandovery, SA20 0BA

Thursday, February 6: 10:00am–4:30pm
Friday, February 7: 10:00am–4:30pm

Ceredigion

Tregaron Memorial Hall
The Square, Tregaron, SY25 6JL

Monday, January 27: 10:00am–4:30pm

New Quay Memorial Hall
Ffordd Towyn Road, New Quay, SA45 9QQ

Tuesday, January 28: 9:30am–4:45pm
Wednesday, January 29: 9:30am–4:45pm

The Pwerdy-Powerhouse Community Arts Centre
Chapel Street, Pont Tyweli, Llandysul, SA44 4AH

Tuesday, February 4: 10:00am–4:45pm
Wednesday, February 5: 10:00am–4:45pm

Pembrokeshire

Pembrokeshire Archives
Prendergast, Haverfordwest, SA61 2PE

Tuesday, January 28: 9:30am–4:50pm

Regency Hall
King George V Playing Fields, Milford Street, Saundersfoot, SA69 9NG

Friday, January 31: 9:30am–4:45pm

Neyland MVC
Unit 1, Honeyborough Retail Park, SA73 1SE

Monday, February 3: 9:30am–4:45pm
Wednesday, February 5: 9:30am–4:45pm

Llwyngwair Manor
Newport, Pembrokeshire, SA42 0LX

Thursday, February 6: 10:00am–4:30pm

Bloomfield House
Redstone Road, Narberth, SA67 7ES

Friday, February 7: 10:00am–4:45pm

Health

RCN demands urgent action and transparency on corridor care in Wales

Published

2 days ago

January 28, 2025

Tom Sinclair

THE RCN today issued a strong call to action to the Welsh government, urging them to take decisive steps to eradicate corridor care – a practice that is unsafe, undignified, and unsustainable. The most vulnerable in society, including many older people, bear the brunt of corridor care –where patients are treated in hallways and other inappropriate settings due to bed shortages.

Corridor care compromises patient safety and dignity by delaying timely treatment, reducing privacy, and increasing anxiety and stress. For the nursing workforce, it worsens workloads, contributes to burnout, and undermines their ability to provide quality care.

In open letters to the Welsh Government, NHS Wales, key watchdogs and advocates, the RCN has called for action on eight steps to end corridor care in Wales. The RCN’s eight recommendations include protecting patient safety and supporting the nursing profession by declaring care in chairs for over 24 hours a “never event” and fostering a culture where nursing staff can raise safety concerns without fear. Key steps include increase weekend staffing that can enable timely discharges, restoring District Nurse numbers to 2010 levels, and investing in social care to ensure patients can transition from hospitals to appropriate care settings promptly.

Additionally, the Government must pause hospital bed reductions and review capacity to ensure adequate care in both community and hospital settings. Investing in the nursing workforce and fully implementing the Six Goals for Urgent and Emergency Care programme is critical. NHS Wales must be empowered to divert patients to neighbouring services when necessary, easing pressure on overstretched facilities and improving outcomes.

Helen Whyley, Executive Director of RCN Wales, said: “Nurses are facing immense challenges in maintaining high standards of patient care amidst the growing prevalence of corridor and chair care in hospitals. The RCN’s recent report starkly highlights the stories of nurses who are striving to provide quality care in these difficult conditions. Despite the lack of proper facilities and the strain of overcrowded hospitals, nurses continue to demonstrate remarkable dedication and resilience. They often work long hours under intense pressure, ensuring that patients receive the best possible care even when resources are stretched thin.”

“Our recommendations provide a clear and achievable roadmap to ensure patients receive care in the right place, at the right time, and by the right professional. The nursing workforce is ready to lead the way – but we need the Welsh government to act now.”

The RCN is calling on the Welsh Government to engage all health care stakeholders, listen to the expertise of the nursing workforce, and prioritise patient safety above all else. The time to end corridor care is now.

Health

Leading pharmacies demand tougher regulation on online sale of weight-loss jabs

Published

4 days ago

January 27, 2025

Tom Sinclair

PHARMACIES are calling for stricter regulation of online sales of weight-loss injections, warning of risks to patient safety amid predictions of a surge in demand this year.

The National Pharmacy Association (NPA), representing independent community pharmacies, has urged the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) to require more thorough consultations with patients before dispensing weight-loss injections and other high-risk medications online.

The NPA cautioned that existing regulations allow medicines to be supplied without adequate consultation or access to patient records, leaving patients vulnerable. They called for a mandatory two-way consultation process to ensure prescribers have a full understanding of patients’ medical histories before issuing such treatments.

Greater safeguards needed

Responding to draft GPhC guidelines, the NPA criticised the proposed safeguards, stating they “still leave the door open for medicines to be prescribed and supplied without appropriate two-way patient consultation or access to a full clinical picture, particularly with high-risk medicines.”

The association recommended prescribers engage in direct dialogue with patients—either in person or via telephone—before offering weight-loss medications such as Mounjaro injections. The NPA also stressed the importance of obtaining comprehensive medical histories, rather than relying solely on online questionnaires.

Nick Kaye, Chair of the National Pharmacy Association, said:
“Obesity is one of the biggest challenges facing our country, and pharmacies want to play their part in helping patients achieve and maintain a healthy weight.
“Weight-loss injections can be effective when prescribed as part of a carefully managed programme, but the current regulations allow some patients to access these medications inappropriately, without proper consultation or examination of medical records.”

Addressing rising demand

The call for tighter regulations comes as demand for weight-loss treatments is expected to rise, with the government planning to expand the rollout of such medications. Many pharmacies already dispense weight-loss treatments or include them in private weight-loss programmes, emphasising a need for best practices to prioritise patient safety.

The NPA highlighted cases of patients who had been inappropriately prescribed weight-loss injections, including individuals with eating disorders or those with body mass indexes (BMI) outside the licensed range. Such cases increase the risk of severe adverse effects.

Kaye added:
“Medicines are not like ordinary goods for sale; they must be handled with great care because they have the power to harm as well as to heal. We urge the GPhC to make a full consultation compulsory for high-risk medicines and ensure supply is prioritised for those with the greatest clinical need, including those with type 2 diabetes.”

Warning against unregulated sellers

The NPA and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) have also warned against purchasing weight-loss injections from unregulated sources, such as beauty salons or social media platforms. Counterfeit medications from these suppliers pose significant health risks.

The NPA advised patients to consult a pharmacist if they are unsure about weight-loss treatments, ensuring they receive safe and effective care as part of a programme to achieve sustainable lifestyle changes.