News

Plaid Cymru calls for open NHS data

Published

8 years ago

August 25, 2016

PLAID’S Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Health, Rhun ap Iorwerth, has called for more open data in the NHS in Wales.

Writing in Click on Wales today, Rhun ap Iorwerth said that the poor quality of data collection and publication is a huge problem in the NHS, and voiced concern that the trend in Wales is away from publishing comparable data.

Rhun ap Iorwerth also makes a series of recommendations to make data more accessible in the NHS. These are:

1. That all written questions from Assembly Members should be effectively treated like Freedom of Information requests to the government, with a legal obligation to answer honestly and accurately – if they don’t have the information centrally, then the obligation should be on the government to obtain it unless the cost of doing this would be prohibitive.

2. That the NHS needs to invest in its information collection services to at the very least ensure areas of concern highlighted by the 4th Assembly committee are addressed. Furthermore, it must publish this data in an open manner – including access to entire datasets for independent statisticians to be able to audit.

3. All devolved governments, and English public services, should seek ways of collaborating on the collection and publication of data on, but not limited to, staffing, waiting times, and financial information.

Plaid Cymru Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Health Rhun ap Iorwerth has written: “In most federal systems, the federal government mandates what data is collected and how it is published precisely so that poor performance can be identified, exposed and corrected. It also helps to encourage innovation because when one government implements a policy that is successful, their success is identified.

“For example when the initial data on the impact of the presumed consent system for organ donation was published, it was immediately followed by calls for Scotland, England and Northern Ireland to adopt this system.

“Unfortunately, the trend in Wales has actually been away from publishing comparable data. For example, the Welsh Government’s changes to the ambulance service targets and collection of data was intended to make it more difficult to compare Wales’ poor performance with other nations.

“As Plaid Cymru’s new Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Health, I say this is not good enough. Policy development should be fact and evidence based. Scrutiny makes for strong democracy and better governance, and this should be embraced. I want an information revolution in the Welsh NHS.”

News

Carmarthenshire takes leading role in latest Celtic Noir – ‘Out There’

Published

7 hours ago

January 13, 2025

Sarah Jane Absalom

Carmarthenshire looks set to take another leading role as the location for ITV’s highly anticipated gritty drama ‘Out There’,

Produced by Buffalo Pictures and starring Martin Clunes, the programme will be aired on January 19.

The news means that Carmarthenshire is fast gaining recognition as a hub for the Celtic Noir genre of filming, and the new six-part thriller joins the many TV and film productions which have been drawn by the county’s dramatic, beguiling landscapes and attractive market towns.

It follows on from the highly acclaimed BBC’s Keeping Faith as well as The Light in the Hall/ Y Golau for Channel 4.

‘Out There’ will showcase Carmarthenshire’s natural beauty against the malice of an insidious crime wave sweeping the British countryside, led by county lines drug dealers and urban gangs that use the countryside as their field of operations. Martin Clunes stars as farmer and single parent, Nathan Williams, who runs a farm which has been in his family for generations.

Many of the filing locations can now be visited by following Discover Carmarthenshire’s new ‘Set Jetter Trail’ which provides insider tips on how best to follow the sometimes eerie paths that many stars have taken around the county.

Crime

Father of baby girl killed in Tenby incident says its been like a ‘horror movie’

Published

8 hours ago

January 13, 2025

Staff Writer

A SIX-MONTH-OLD baby girl has tragically died after her pram was struck by a car in a multi-storey car park in Tenby, Pembrokeshire.

Sophia Kelemen, described as “smiley and bubbly,” suffered catastrophic brain injuries in the collision on Thursday (Jan 2). Despite being airlifted to a Cardiff hospital, the injuries proved fatal.

Sophia’s family, from Greater Manchester, had been on holiday in Wales and were preparing to head home when the incident occurred.

Her father, Alex Kelemen, 27, told the BBC: “Just before we got to the car, the horror movie started.

“It’s been horrific to see our little daughter lying in that hospital bed and going through all those procedures. Everybody loved her—our friends, our family. She’s always going to live in my heart. I know she’s watching over me every day.”

Sophia’s parents now face the heartbreaking task of explaining the tragedy to their five-year-old son, Lucas.

“He’s been asking about his little sister every day,” said Mr Kelemen. “The hardest thing I’ve ever done is explain to him that God loved his sister more than we did. I told him that God gave Sophia a new pair of wings so she could fly above him and protect him.

“There are things I just don’t know how to explain to him. He’s our only child now, and everything we do is for him.”

Family’s heartbreak

Sophia’s aunt, Adriana Kelemen, recounted the devastating events to the Manchester Evening News.

“They were on a short break in Wales with family friends,” she said. “It was their last day. They’d been out, and then they went to the supermarket.

“It happened in the car park. The pram Sophia was in was destroyed.”

Support for devastated family

Fundraising efforts are now underway to support Sophia’s family. Two GoFundMe pages—one in English and one in Romanian—have been launched to cover funeral costs and repatriation expenses. The family plans to bury Sophia in Romania.

Meanwhile, Flaviu Naghi, 33, from Wigan, has been charged with causing death by dangerous driving, as well as driving without a licence or insurance. He is due to appear at Swansea Crown Court on February 7.

Donations to assist the family can be made via the GoFundMe pages.

Pictured:

Tragic loss: Six-month-old Sophia Kelemen, pictured with dad Alex, died after her pram was hit by a car (Pic: Dyfed-Powys Police)

News

Wales at the forefront of UK drive to ‘turbocharge’ AI

Published

8 hours ago

January 13, 2025

Tom Sinclair

THE FIRST MINISTER OF WALES Eluned Morgan has welcomed today’s announcement from the UK Government of a multi-billion pound investment in Artificial Intelligence.

The UK Opportunities Action Plan, launched by Prime Minister Keir Starmer today, aims to drive economic growth, support public services and use intelligent technology to improve people’s every day lives.

Wales is uniquely placed to benefit from the AI infrastructure plans, with work already underway to develop tech hubs, shared resources and data centres.

As part of the investment announced today, US technology giant Vantage Data Centers plans to invest over £12 billion across the UK, resulting in the creation of over 11,500 jobs. The Welsh Government has been working closely with Vantage since 2020 to support the development of its data centres in Wales.

It is expected that the lion’s share of the new investment from Vantage will be in Wales. The biggest investment will be in Bridgend, where the company plans to develop the former Ford factory site to become one of Europe’s largest data centre campuses.

The First Minister is keen to ensure Wales benefits from the investment in AI, saying:

“Today’s announcement, which includes a multi-billion pound investment in AI by some of the world’s biggest tech companies, is a huge boost in confidence for industry in Wales.

“We are seeing that AI is increasingly being used as a power for good, whether that’s increasing productivity or bringing smarter solutions to everyday problems.

“There can be enormous benefits to the economy in establishing the tech and wider infrastructure here in Wales. Industry leaders recognise that the conditions are right in Wales, with a government that will do what it can to make these plans a reality.

“This won’t happen overnight and it’s important that the infrastructure, data, skills and talent is in place to ensure that we all benefit from these solutions. There’s no question that Wales is in an excellent position to benefit, given the work that’s already in progress here.”

The Economy Secretary Rebecca Evans is leading a review to explore how Wales can capitalise on opportunities and develop Wales’ strengths in the development of AI-based technologies.

Over the past year, the Welsh Government has worked with other organisations to develop guidance to support Welsh public bodies in adopting AI in a responsible, safe and ethical way.

Wales has already seen evidence of the value of AI implementation in diagnostic care in the NHS, with a digital pathology platform for prostate and breast cancer detection led by Betsi Cadwaladr seeing a 13% increase in prostate cancer detection rates.

Estyn, the school inspectorate, is also undertaking a review of the use of Generative AI in schools, which will explore the potential benefits to schools, while also considering the challenges they pose.