FOLLOWING a successful pilot at Glangwili Hospital’s emergency department, Hywel Dda University Health Board (UHB) has rolled out Learning Disability Packs across Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, and Pembrokeshire. 

These packs are designed by the health board’s Learning Disabilities Team to make emergency hospital visits less stressful and more accessible for adults with learning disabilities. They provide clear, simple information and reassurance for patients and their families. 

The pack is available at Bronglais, Glangwili, Withybush hospital’s emergency departments (A&E) and Prince Philip Hospital’s Acute Medical Assessment Unit (AMAU).

It is designed to provide clear, simple information and reassurance and includes: 

• Easy Read information 
• Pictures and symbols to aid understanding 
• Details about what will happen during the visit 
• Information about staff who can help 

To ensure the packs are offered promptly, the Learning Disabilities Team is working closely with front-of-house staff and holding staff drop-in sessions. Posters will also promote their availability throughout departments and patients, or their carer can ask for a pack at the reception desk.  

“These packs were developed to help make emergency care less stressful and more accessible for adults with learning disabilities. We’re delighted these packs are now available across our hospitals,” said Melissa Evans, Learning Disabilities Health Facilitation and Liaison Team Manager, at Hywel Dda UHB.  

Anyone with a learning disability is also encouraged to complete a Health Profile and share it with health workers when visiting hospital. This profile includes essential information for health workers and can be used across all health and social care appointments.  

Melissa added: “A Health Profile is an important communication tool for people with a learning disability. It can include information about how to communicate, their medication and allergies, and the reasonable adjustments they may need.  

“Everyone is different, so we encourage anyone with a learning disability to fill in a Health Profile and take it with them when you need to go to hospital or see health and social care staff.” 

Health Profiles are available to download at https://www.improvementcymru.net/health-profile along with advice on how to fill it in.  

PAEDIATRICIANS are urging parents and carers across Wales to ensure their children receive the flu vaccine, as early-season data shows high rates of flu among babies, children and young people.

The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) has published a new fact sheet for families in Wales, amid concerns that flu is already circulating widely in communities. Clinicians say many people still underestimate the seriousness of flu, wrongly believing it to be little more than a heavy cold.

However, flu can cause severe illness in children and lead to complications such as pneumonia and bronchitis. Each winter, thousands of children across the UK – including those with no underlying health conditions – require hospital care because of flu.

The RCPCH fact sheet aims to provide clear, evidence-based information for families and includes:

• Who is eligible for the flu vaccine
• Where to get vaccinated in Wales
• What to do if an appointment has been missed
• Answers to common questions on safety and effectiveness

The guidance is available now and comes as health services prepare for what is expected to be a challenging winter.

Dr Malcolm Gajraj, RCPCH Officer for Wales, said: “Flu is not something to take lightly. We are already seeing considerable cases of flu among children in Wales, and we know from experience that flu can lead to serious illness and hospital stays. The vaccine is safe, effective and the best way to protect your child. By getting your child vaccinated, you’re helping to keep them well and reduce the spread of flu in our communities.”

A DOCTOR who facilitated abortions for two women with much-wanted pregnancies was not allowed to prescribe a £28 anti-sickness drug due to cost-effectiveness rules in Wales.

The stark warning came as petitioners called on the Welsh Government to place Xonvea, the only licensed medication for severe pregnancy sickness, on the routine prescription list.

Georgina Forbes, a specialist doctor in Gwent, revealed she facilitated terminations for two women who were suffering from hyperemesis gravidarum (HG) in a single week. HG, which affects about 3% of pregnancies, leads to extreme, persistent nausea and vomiting.

“Both pregnancies were very much planned and wanted,” she wrote. “Both had multiple admissions and were on other medical treatments which were not giving adequate relief.

“For the sake of their physical and mental health, they felt their only option was to terminate their much-wanted pregnancies – inevitably having a further impact on their well-being.”

She warned of distress for the patients and staff involved because Xonvea “may well be the medication that provides symptomatic relief but departments are not allowed to prescribe it”.

Dr Forbes, chair of the College of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare’s Wales committee, noted Xonvea costs £28 for a 10-day supply – “far less than the cost of admission”. She urged Welsh ministers to ensure women are not “left behind compared to other UK nations”.

In 2019, the drug was rejected for routine use by the All-Wales Medicines Strategy Group (AWMSG) – which advises ministers – due to “insufficient” evidence of cost-effectiveness. Scotland reached a similar conclusion while access in England is inconsistent.

But campaigners argue the decision is a false economy. Data submitted to the Senedd’s petitions committee highlighted a two-night hospital admission to rehydrate a woman with severe sickness costs the NHS £850, with ambulance call-outs costing a further £238.

Petitioner Sarah Spooner, from Monmouthshire, argued the “myopic approach” ignores the costs of untreated sickness such as perinatal mental health support.

Ms Spooner, whose pregnancy sickness was so severe she had to have a termination, warned of inequality in access to treatments. She recalled having to travel to an abortion clinic in Bargoed to get medication, a process she described as “immensely difficult”.

While the Welsh Government has insisted health boards have discretion to prescribe the drug “when other treatments… are ineffective”, staff and patients report a different reality.

Ms Spooner’s 947-name petition warned women face a “postcode lottery” for care, with only two Welsh health boards making Xonvea more widely available.

She was contacted by Heather Kosick, a Canadian doctor, who was horrified by her story.

Dr Kosick wrote: “Here in Canada Xonvea, also called Diclectin, is readily available to all pregnant women. In fact, it is considered the first-line agent for nausea and vomiting in pregnancy due to its extensive safety data.”

Ms Spooner volunteers for the Pregnancy Sickness Support charity which pointed out that Xonvea has been prescribed globally for years, with an estimated 30 million women treated.

The charity highlighted that 57% of patients are forced to cycle through three or more ineffective drugs before being offered Xonvea, which 83% of women found effective.

One patient reported being hospitalised seven times during a pregnancy without Xonvea but zero admissions during a subsequent pregnancy when she was prescribed the drug.

About 5% of women with HG end a wanted pregnancy due to the severity of symptoms, according to a 2021 study, which found 52% considered termination.

The study, from the Obstetric Medicine journal, found 25.5% of respondents occasionally experienced suicidal thoughts while 6.6% reported frequent suicidal ideation.

Writing to the petitions committee, Wales’ health secretary Jeremy Miles said the 2019 AWMSG appraisal remains the “most up-to-date and comprehensive evaluation”.

He told the committee health boards can make Xonvea available in certain circumstances, with more than 1,140 prescriptions issued between January and July 2025. He added that the manufacturer was “unable” to provide updated information to support a reappraisal.

Mr Miles wrote: “We must ensure our health service treats all conditions and diseases fairly. Taking an evidence-based approach helps us to do this, whatever the disease, by ensuring resources are targeted at where the evidence indicates people will gain the most benefit.”

During today’s (December 8) meeting, Senedd members paid tribute to women for sharing their “horrendous” experiences before deciding to ask the AWMSG to reconsider its position.

Plaid Cymru’s Caerphilly MS Lindsay Whittle said: “I don’t think you can put a price on young families, young couples who wish to start a family and have undergone such traumatic decisions.”

He stressed: “Cost should simply not be the issue – families are suffering.”