Charity

Former Withybush director flays Welsh Government over ambulance delay

Published

1 year ago

May 8, 2025

Retired doctor calls for emergency response to ‘failing’ NHS

A FORMER Director of Withybush Hospital has launched a scathing attack on the Welsh Government after his ninety-year-old mother-in-law was left waiting seventeen hours for an ambulance.

Dr Iain Robertson-Steele, who lives in Solva, told BBC Radio Wales’s Breakfast programme this week that he had “never seen the Welsh NHS in such a poor state.” He also criticised First Minister Eluned Morgan and the wider handling of health and social care by ministers in Cardiff Bay.

Dr Robertson-Steele explained that after his mother-in-law suffered a fall, 999 was called – but the ambulance did not arrive until 2:00am.

“She was found on the floor,” he said. “An ambulance arrived seventeen hours later at 2:00 in the morning, and, at 2:30am, she was taken to Withybush Hospital.”

Baroness Morgan admitted the delay was “unacceptable” and said the government was working to improve the system and address “blockages” in the care pathway.

But Dr Robertson-Steele said the situation required far more than promises.

“As a retired doctor, I’ve become increasingly aware of growing ambulance response delays — we’re talking about heart attacks, broken necks, and femurs,” he said. “It’s completely unacceptable for critically injured or ill patients to remain at home for such long periods. They become cold, hypoglycaemic, and develop skin damage. All of these increase the risk of poor outcomes.”

He was clear that frontline staff are not to blame.

“This isn’t the fault of nurses, paramedics, doctors or hospital staff. It’s a system that’s inadequate, badly organised and clogged up. The Welsh Government has been in power for twenty-five years. Eluned Morgan can’t just say she’s ‘working on it’.”

Dr Robertson-Steele called for immediate action: “The government has failed to deliver, failed to organise, and the NHS is frankly on the point of failure. That is bad for patients, bad for staff, and bad for the country.

“That is why I’m calling on the government to organise an emergency response to address the current crisis. And let’s be clear — it is a crisis.”

In response to Baroness Morgan’s claim that delays in operations were due to her not being “in every theatre,” he said: “Delays in theatre are often because there are no beds for patients or there’s a lack of staff. So it’s a bad example for her to give.

“The real problem is delayed discharges. Patients are stuck in hospital waiting for social care packages to go home. Bed numbers have dropped over the years. The population has aged. The demands of the elderly are much higher than those of younger people.”

He warned that superficial fixes would not solve the crisis.

“We’ve had the Bevan Commission. We’ve had report after report. We all know the answer is solving social care and elderly care.

“As the Senedd election nears, politicians will roll out magical solutions. But none of it will work unless we deliver, pay and organise staff properly — and most importantly, train enough doctors and nurses.”

Turning to workforce issues, he added: “We’ve seen the cut in nursing places at Cardiff University. We train doctors in Wales but don’t retain them. We don’t train enough, and we don’t pay them well enough to keep them here. Many leave for Australia or New Zealand.”

Dr Robertson-Steele concluded: “It’s naive of the government — and very naive of Eluned Morgan, the former Health Minister — to suggest this is just about poor organisation or management. The crisis is systemic, and the responsibility lies squarely with those in power.”

Charity

Toy Story fans fill charity toy box at Haverfordwest cinema

Published

14 hours ago

June 20, 2026

Tom Sinclair

Donations pour in for SNAP Specialist Play as families embrace Toy Story 5 launch

A TOY STORY-themed charity appeal at a Haverfordwest cinema has got off to a flying start, with families donating toys to support children with additional needs across Pembrokeshire.

The Palace Cinema has teamed up with local charity SNAP Specialist Play to collect new and pre-loved toys during screenings of the newly released Toy Story 5.

The appeal centres around an “Andy’s Toys” donation box, inspired by the beloved Pixar films, which has already been filled by generous filmgoers.

***Toy Story magic: The Palace Cinema foyer has been transformed with themed decorations to celebrate the film’s release***

Cinema manager Hannah Cramp said the response from the community had exceeded expectations.

Families attending opening screenings have arrived carrying bags of toys, with many children keen to share their own treasured items to help others.

The cinema has transformed its foyer into a colourful Toy Story-themed experience, complete with hand-painted decorations, character silhouettes, bunting and famous film slogans including “Reach for the Sky” and “To Infinity and Beyond”.

Many visitors have also embraced the spirit of the occasion by attending in costume as their favourite Toy Story characters.

***Specialist support: SNAP’s sensory facilities help children with additional needs learn and develop through play***

The toys are being donated to SNAP Specialist Play, a charity based within the Child Health Department at Withybush Hospital.

SNAP supports pre-school children with additional and complex needs through specialist play sessions designed to encourage communication, physical development and sensory learning.

Its facilities include sensory rooms, therapeutic play spaces and bespoke equipment used by speech and language therapists, occupational therapists and physiotherapists.

Project manager Cindy Jenkins said the charity was delighted by the partnership and grateful for the generosity shown by local families.

She said every toy donated would be put to good use, either during specialist play sessions, at family events, or through seasonal initiatives such as Christmas gift boxes for children and their siblings.

The appeal will continue until mid-July, with organisers hopeful that even more donations will be received over the coming weeks.

Anyone attending Toy Story 5 at the Palace Cinema is invited to bring along a new or good-quality pre-loved toy to support the appeal.

Cover photo:

Fancy dress fun: Palace Cinema manager Hannah Cramp helping launch the Toy Story charity appeal.

Charity

Afghan resettlement sex offence case “raises questions over public safety”

Published

6 days ago

June 15, 2026

Tom Sinclair

MINISTERS are facing calls to explain what checks were in place after the Ministry of Defence confirmed that an Afghan national resettled in the Vale of Glamorgan was convicted of a sexual offence.

Conservative Senedd Member Andrew RT Davies said the case raises “serious questions” for authorities after months of correspondence about the use of the Holiday Inn Express in Rhoose as temporary accommodation under Afghan resettlement arrangements.

The issue was first raised by Mr Davies in August last year, after he met Ministry of Defence officials about the decision to house Afghan families at the hotel.

Following that meeting, he asked whether anyone housed in the Vale of Glamorgan under Afghan resettlement schemes had been charged with or convicted of sex offences or other crimes.

Delayed response

The Home Office initially refused to provide the information, saying it would exceed the cost limit for Freedom of Information requests because thousands of Afghan national records would have to be checked.

However, the Ministry of Defence has now confirmed that it holds information relating to ten cases in which a person relocated to the UK under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy or Afghan Response Route later committed a criminal offence.

Of those ten cases, five people were resettled under ARAP, three under ARR, while the MOD said it did not hold information on which route applied to the remaining two.

The department also confirmed that one person was based in the Vale of Glamorgan at the time the offence was committed and had been convicted of a sexual offence.

The MOD said the individual is no longer part of the Afghan Resettlement Programme.

A further two of the ten cases related to sexual offences, bringing the total number of sexual offence cases held by the MOD to three.

‘Public safety implications’

Mr Davies said: “It’s disgraceful that the Government failed to provide this information for so long.

“After authorities chose to use the Holiday Inn Express in Rhoose for temporary accommodation, I asked them to confirm if any individuals relocated under various Afghan resettlement schemes were convicted of sex offences.

“But they failed to answer the request repeatedly.

“Now it has confirmed an Afghan resettled in the Vale of Glamorgan was convicted of a sex crime, the Government has serious questions to answer.

“There are public safety implications that must be addressed.”

MOD caveat

In its response, the Ministry of Defence stressed that its figures should not be treated as a complete picture.

The department said that once an eligible person is resettled in the UK, integration and ongoing support becomes the responsibility of the relevant local authority.

It added that the MOD does not routinely collect data on people once they begin the resettlement and integration process.

The MOD also said it does not hold information on the specific category of sexual offences committed.

Mr Davies has previously raised concerns from residents about whether statements made about those housed at the hotel accurately reflected the schemes under which they had been resettled.

He said constituents deserved transparency over both the resettlement process and any public safety issues arising from it.

Charity

Charity football match raises £10,025 for Glangwili Hospital units

Published

6 days ago

June 15, 2026

Herald Sport

A CHARITY football event held at Carmarthen Town AFC has raised £10,025 for two key services at Glangwili Hospital.

The event, organised by LHP Accountants, took place on Saturday and raised money for the Chemotherapy Unit and the Special Care Baby Unit through Hywel Dda Health Charities.

Organisers said they had been “absolutely overwhelmed” by the support shown on the day, thanking everyone who played, donated, sponsored, volunteered, bought raffle tickets, bid in the auction or attended the event.

They said: “This achievement belongs to every single person who supported us. Thank you for helping us make a real difference.”

The event was also filmed by S4C’s Heno, with coverage due to air tonight between 7:00pm and 7:30pm.