News
Officials move to reassure public over west Wales ambulance shortage
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St John’s Ambulance to assist with workload
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Ambulance officials say they can cope
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Welsh Government moves to assure the public
EMERGENCY services in west Wales have been told to be mindful when requesting ambulances this weekend due to “a potential of significant shortfall” in ambulance response and availability.
ITV Wales reported on Friday (Jan 22) that they have seen a document that says Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Pembrokeshire and Neath and Port Talbot could all be affected until Sunday.
It has been reported that the police and fire service were informed of the potential problems at a meeting earlier this week.
Any short fall will put more pressure on other emergency services, including Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue who now have co-responder teams in place to deal with medical emergencies when there is insufficient ambulance cover.
The Welsh health minister has been urged to intervene. Plaid Cymru AM, Elin Jones said on Friday that she has written to Mark Drakeford, wanting immediate action to ensure that there is sufficient cover to keep the public safe.
The Welsh Ambulance Trust have issued a statement to media response to the concerns raised.
The statement said: “Resourcing is a dynamic process and we would like to reassure the public that ambulance cover across West Wales is at safe levels this weekend, with sufficient ambulance and rapid response vehicle cover in place.”
The Welsh Government has said there is ‘sufficient’ ambulance cover. A spokesman said : “A further review of weekend cover has been undertaken and officials have received assurance directly from the Ambulance Trust that there is sufficient emergency ambulance service coverage.”
Rob Jeffery, Head of Operations for The Welsh Ambulance Service’s Hywel Dda region said: “We’d like to reassure the public that we make every effort to ensure we use all our available resources effectively to respond to the varying levels of demand across the Hywel Dda and ABMU areas, and indeed across the whole of Wales, and deliver safe and high quality care to the population.
“We are optimising the resources we have available over the coming weekend in the Hywel Dda University Health Board area, this is being supported by increasing our Rapid Response Vehicles and Unscheduled Care Service vehicles which are being made available as well as some St John Ambulance vehicles in support of our operations.
“In the Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University Health Board area there is a minimal shortfall of Emergency Ambulances this weekend which is also being bolstered by an increase in our Rapid Response Vehicles.”
Business
Ferry Terminal ‘extremely busy’ due to ongoing Holyhead closure
PEMBROKE DOCK Ferry Terminal has been experiencing significant congestion today as ferry services remain under immense pressure following the closure of Holyhead Port earlier this month.
The disruption, caused by storm damage, has rerouted ferry traffic through Pembrokeshire, leading to long queues and crowded facilities at the terminal.
The Herald can confirm that it has been very busy today with cars, lorries, and foot passengers queuing in large numbers. Staff are working tirelessly to manage the influx, directing vehicles and assisting passengers as they prepare to board the heavily booked ferries.
A spokesperson for the Port of Milford Haven said: “We are working closely with ferry operators and local authorities to ensure traffic flows as smoothly as possible, but the sheer volume of vehicles is causing unavoidable delays.”
Travelers are being urged to arrive early for their sailings and to remain patient as the terminal operates at full capacity.
Both Stena Line and Irish Ferries have increased capacity on their Pembrokeshire routes, deploying larger vessels, including the Stena Adventurer and the MV James Joyce, to handle the surge in demand.
From our position at the terminal, our photographer has captured photos showing long lines of vehicles, groups of foot passengers carrying luggage, and port staff coordinating efforts to ease congestion.
Authorities are advising non-essential travelers to consider rescheduling their journeys where possible and to monitor updates from ferry operators closely.
(Photos: Martin Cavaney/Herald)
Community
Festive celebrations at St Davids Cathedral this weekend
ST DAVIDS Cathedral is set to host two special events on Sunday (Dec 22), offering a blend of joyful participation and traditional carol singing to mark the Christmas season.
In the morning, families are invited to the Scratch Nativity at 11:00am. Attendees are encouraged to come dressed as wise men, angels, sheep, or shepherds and take part in an unrehearsed retelling of the Christmas story. Canon Leigh described the event as: “Complete, wonderful chaos for an hour… but with some poignant, thought-provoking moments to centre ourselves on the real meaning of Christmas.”
Later in the evening, the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols by Candlelight will take place at 7:00pm, featuring the Cathedral Choir. The event, steeped in tradition, will see the cathedral bathed in candlelight as carols and scripture readings fill the historic space.
Doors will open at 5:45pm for those seeking unreserved seating, and a large turnout is expected for this beloved Christmas celebration.
Crime
Three men from London admit their guilt over illegal cannabis farm
THREE men admit their guilt after police discover over 700 cannabis plants during a raid on a former school building in Llandysul.
Officers from Dyfed-Powys Police executed a warrant at the former Ysgol Gynradd Llandysul on Heol Llyn Y Fran on November 15. Inside, they found 737 cannabis plants spread across multiple rooms.
Armeld Troksi, 29, and Njazi Gjana, 27, both from Empire Avenue in Edmonton, London, along with Ervin Gjana, 24, from Durham Avenue in Romford, were arrested at the scene and later charged with producing cannabis.
The three men appeared before Swansea Crown Court, where they admitted their involvement in the illegal operation. Defence solicitor Joshua Scouller requested a pre-sentence report for Ervin Gjana, which was granted by Judge Geraint Walters.
Sentencing is scheduled for January 20.
A Dyfed-Powys Police spokesperson said: “Following a warrant executed at the former school on Heol Llyn Y Fran, officers discovered a significant cannabis grow containing 737 plants.
“We are grateful to the local community for their continued support and cooperation. Officers will remain in the area while the site is secured.
“Our commitment remains firm in disrupting drug production and supply networks across our force area.
“We encourage residents to report any suspicious activity, no matter how small it may seem. Every piece of information can make a difference, and reports can easily be submitted through our website.”
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ian campbell
January 23, 2016 at 10:56 am
superb ambulance crews totally buggered by rigid wales assembly protocols.
two tier system of wag ambulances and st johns leads to delays confusion and buck passing
the service is at breaking point only kept running by patients paying for transport to hospital appoi ntments
a clear extra strain on people when they can least cope with the stress of finding large sums to get to treatment
rigid protocol s when they arrive in distant places impenetrable telephone systems which time out if not answered immediately
harm or even death by bureaucratic delay
Terry
January 23, 2016 at 11:43 pm
If only we had as many ambulances as we had press officers/spin doctors probably paid 4/5 times as much as the two ppl in an ambulance then maybe we’d feel safer but as long as they care more about spin and image as they did about keeping welsh ppl alive we’d be less scared .
After all, hell of a lot of £100k+ “managers|” don’t want to lose their cushy do s0d all jobs