News

Emotions run high at public meeting

Published

9 years ago

August 20, 2015

THE ROYAL COLLEGE of Paediatrics and Child Health has been commissioned by the Local Health Board to undertake an independent evaluation of the changes in women and children’s healthcare services in Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire.

As part of that exercise, a public meetingwasheldat WithybushHospital’s Conference Centre on the evening of Wednesday (Jul 29), at 5:30pm. Present were members of the panel charged with carrying out the review and around 300 members of the public.

As the first year anniversary of the Midwifery Led Unit approaches, the experiences shared with the panel were not as positive as the Health Board might have hoped.

And, as The Pembrokeshire Herald can now reveal, the nature of the written material submitted to the Community Health Council, is no less searing an indictmentthantheinformationdelivered to the panel in person on Wednesday.

Two retired members of staff, a paediatrician and a surgeon made it clear thatthechangeswroughtto Withybush’s level of care placed patients’ lives and well-being at risk, pointing out – in the latter instance – the statistical likelihood of additional infant mortality.

While the clinicians’ words were chilling, the experiences of patients clearly affected both those telling the panel of their experiences and the panel members.

The financial hardship caused by the changes to Pembrokeshire families were highlighted by two parents. The need for extra childcare to be paid for when attending Glangwili does not appear to have been taken into account as one of the inevitable effects of moving services away from where patients and their families actually live. She related how she was told she needed to be induced as there was no space available at the weekend.

One family were forced to take out an £8,000 loan to cover the cost of three months’ travel while their premature baby was in hospital with the baby’s mother. The human cost, also affected their older child due to the time spent travellingtoandfromhospitalmeantthat it had to spend an extended period with its grandparents.

Issues regarding transport links, the poor quality or lack thereof, and the absence of accessible public transport at weekends appeared to take the panel members aback. They were further distressed by the experiences of patients with paediatric and maternity services at Glangwili.

The chaos at Glangwili was also the subject matter of emotive submissions: one parent was told how he was told to leave the hospital at 6am, only to need to return three hours later when his child was taken to the Special Care Baby Unit. A couple, fed up with being told that the woman was not in labour because Glangwili staff were able to tell that she was not OVER THE PHONE, ended up delivering their own child in a layby at Canaston Bridge and transporting the baby to hospital wrapped in a coat.

On mum told how she was left in the gown she gave birth in, covered in blood, and with an epidural still in her.

Here is one sample of the patient experiences disclosed to The Herald which the panel will be considering: “My son was born in March. At two weeks old he started vomiting, so our GP changed his milk formula. Over the next few days my baby deteriorated rapidly. After an incident where he passed blood, I called the out of hours’ service at Care on Call. An ambulance was sent and he was rushed to Glangwili. He was in Glangwili for a week being treated for a milk allergy before I was told a heart murmur had been detected. Although poorly he was discharged. The following day I took him to Withybush. A heart scan was carried out and he was diagnosed with pyloric stenosis. I was toldhewouldhavediedhadwenottaken him to Withybush. He was blue-lighted all the way to Cardiff for emergency surgery, but because he was so weak he had to wait to be stabilised first. Had Withybush not been shut, he would have had his treatment and diagnosis straight away. Instead, we had a long and heart-breaking month. Thankfully, my son is slowly improving.”

The panel members were told that midwives who had been compelled to work at Glangwili with no compensation or alternative being given to them or face losing their jobs had left the service as a result of bullying and the demands being placed upon them and their families by the changes.

The Herald can reveal that in November 2014 a complaint was made to the Royal College of Midwives about the staffing culture and situation at Glangwili. The Herald can confirm that a dozen midwives have left or are in the process of serving their notice having quit.

When the service was obstetrician-led, there were five midwives on call overnight. There are now meant to be three covering the whole of Pembrokeshire AND the Midwifery Unit at Withybush. The Herald has been told that the reality of the situation is that often only two midwives are on duty in the county.

Marc Tierney, Labour Assembly Candidate for South Pembrokeshire told The Herald: “It was really important for me that, having made the case for Withybush on many occasions, so many people came along to share their experiences.

“I am very disappointed that the public meeting was so poorly organised. For the review to be trusted it must be builtongatheringasmanypatientstories as possible from across the area to balance the other statistical and clinical evidence being collected.

“That is why I called on the Review Team to undertake a further meeting in SouthPembrokeshireandinCarmarthen so patients there could meet face to face with the reviewers. This isn’t just about Withybush it is about how the services at Glangwili are meeting patient needs now.

“The Health Board and the Review Team have to get this right, regardless of the small additional costs or extra time that may be required.”

Community

Officials announced for 2026 Eisteddfod in Pembrokeshire

Published

8 hours ago

November 14, 2024

Tom Sinclair

THE NATIONAL EISTEDDFOD returns to Pembrokeshire in 2026, and organisers have named the officials who will steer this major cultural event over the next year and a half.

With the artistic and local committees already established, meetings to finalise competitions and adjudicators are underway to ensure the List of Competitions is ready by spring. Committee members have also been voting over the past weeks to elect key officials for the Executive Committee.

John Davies, former leader of Pembrokeshire County Council, has been appointed Chair of the Executive Committee. Known for his deep connection to Pembrokeshire and extensive experience with national organisations, Davies aims to make the Eisteddfod a true community event, welcoming involvement from all corners of the region.

Tegryn Jones, Chief Executive of Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, takes on the role of Deputy Chair (Strategy). With a strong passion for Welsh culture and language, Jones brings a wealth of experience working with local communities, visitors, and volunteers across three counties.

Deputy Chair (Culture) is Carys Ifan, Director of Canolfan Egin and a seasoned cultural organiser. Based in Llangrannog and originally from Llandudoch, Ifan has led numerous artistic and community projects across the region.

Cris Tomos, a community development veteran with over 30 years of experience, will lead the 2026 Eisteddfod Local Fund. Working with PLANED, a community development charity, Tomos has supported countless community enterprises and co-operatives in Pembrokeshire, Ceredigion, and Carmarthenshire.

Non Davies, recently elected as Executive Committee Secretary, brings extensive cultural management expertise as Ceredigion County Council’s Corporate Manager for Culture. Having chaired the Cardigan Local Fund Committee for the 2022 Ceredigion Eisteddfod, Davies is well-versed in managing cultural projects.

National Eisteddfod Chief Executive, Betsan Moses, said: “We’re looking forward to working with John and the team over the next few months as we prepare for the 2026 Eisteddfod.

“There’s almost a quarter of a century since the Eisteddfod was last held in Pembrokeshire, and we’re very much looking forward to returning to the area. 2026 is an important year for us as we celebrate 850 years since the first Eisteddfod was held in Cardigan Castle in 1176.

“We’re looking forward to working in a new way within a catchment area which includes parts of another two counties, which is, of course, a chance to work with local people in Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire again.”

Further announcements are expected in the coming weeks, including the sale of competition prizes and opportunities to donate the Crown and the Chair.

The National Eisteddfod will be held in Llantood from August 1–8, 2026.

News

Campaigners urge Welsh Government to adopt proportional representation for Local Elections

Published

8 hours ago

November 14, 2024

Tom Sinclair

CAMPAIGNERS are calling on the Welsh Government to introduce the Single Transferable Vote (STV) system for local elections, following moves by two councils to shift away from the First Past the Post (FPTP) system being blocked on technical grounds.

Yesterday (Nov 14), Ceredigion Council voted narrowly, with an 18 to 17 majority, in favor of adopting STV. This follows Gwynedd Council’s decision last month, where 65% of councillors backed the move. However, both councils have been prevented from implementing STV due to a requirement for a two-thirds majority under the Local Government and Elections (Wales) Act 2021.

In recent consultations, public support for STV has been overwhelming, with over 70% in Gwynedd and 67% in Ceredigion favoring the change. Only Powys Council rejected the proposal, despite 60.5% of its respondents supporting STV. Campaigners argue that the current system deprives voters of representation, citing that over 100,000 people were denied a vote in the 2022 elections due to uncontested seats.

The Electoral Reform Society Cymru (ERS Cymru) highlights the contrast with Scotland, where the introduction of STV for local elections in 2007 has significantly reduced uncontested seats. According to ERS Cymru, Scotland has had fewer uncontested seats in the last four elections combined than Gwynedd Council recorded alone in 2022.

Jess Blair, Director of ERS Cymru, said:

“Decisions made in council chambers affect everyone in those areas, so every vote should count. It’s absurd that councils choosing STV are blocked by a technicality, leaving them stuck with an outdated system that denies representation to thousands. The Welsh Government must act to avoid repeating the undemocratic outcomes of the last elections.”

Campaigners are now calling on the Welsh Government to introduce STV across all councils in Wales, ensuring representation that reflects the electorate’s wishes.

Business

Upgrades completed at Port of Milford Haven’s simulator suite

Published

9 hours ago

November 14, 2024

Tom Sinclair

UPGRADES have been completed to state-of-the-art equipment within the Port of Milford Haven’s navigation simulator suite at Milford Waterfront enabling marine professionals to receive bespoke specialist training. The virtual reality simulation system can safely replicate a range of scenarios that seafarers may experience in real world situations such as extreme weather conditions, emergency situations and escort tug work.

The upgrades provided by Netherlands-based company MARIN contain the latest hardware in terms of processing power and graphics, as well as upgrades to MARIN’s ‘Dolphin’ software, increasing the capability to create scenarios. These are complemented with new 4k visuals on 75” screens which increase the depth and field of vision, adding to the realism.

Recently, a training day was led by Training Pilot Captain Mark Johnson, assisted by ex-Pilot Andy Hillier, involving members of the Svitzer team as well as Pilots Matt Roberts and Ian Coombes. As part of the scenario, they were faced with a loss of engine power and steering along with worsening weather and sea conditions. The Pilots had to communicate with Svitzer in order to successfully instruct them on how to tow and direct a drifting tanker. While scenarios like these are uncommon within port operations, it is important to rehearse procedures that would be implemented if they are required and enhances participants’ skill sets.

Marine Pilot and Simulator Instructor, Captain Ewan McNicoll, said “This simulator suite has future proofed our training capabilities, both internally for Pilots and marine staff, but also externally for clients wishing to use the facility, be it for training purposes or research and development. We can create any type of scenario with any type of ship, ranging from practicing ship handling manoeuvres to emergency situations, it really is game changing! Working with our partners at MARIN has been a complete success and I am very proud of our new facility.”

For more information about training at the navigation simulation suite please contact the Port of Milford Haven at [email protected] or 01646 696100.