Connect with us
Advertisement
Advertisement

News

HEART UNIT NEXT TO GO: Alarm as Withybush Hospital faces more cuts

Published

on

Dr. Sue FishNEWS that the Cardiology service at Withybush General Hospital is to shut has come “like a bolt from the blue” according to local health campaigners.

Widespread fears that the removal of essential services in paediatrics and special baby care were the thin end of the wedge and represented “salami-slicing tactics” by the Health Board appear to have been borne out by the announcement of plans to substantially cut the provision of cardiac care in Haverfordwest.

A week after well over 500 local people protested outside the Senedd in Cardiff Bay, the Health Board chose to release a report dated January 27, 2014 into the future of cardiac care in West Wales.

Relying on what is described as “anecdotal” evidence, the Board commissioned the report in September last year to review cardiac care, around the same time its plans for neonatal care were referred to an a separate expert panel.

THE HEALTH BOARD did not publicise the referral of cardiac services and it was not mentioned by Mark Drakeford, Welsh Health Minister, who rejected the idea that services would be “salami sliced” away from the Haverfordwest hospital.

It is understood that the report proposes further downgrades to outlying general hospitals and the centralisation of cardiac care on West Wales General, Carmarthen.

The press release carried on the Local Health Board’s website says that the report was commissioned “following concerns raised” but fails to say by whom. The Pembrokeshire Herald understands that concerns were raised within the Local Health Board itself by two cardiologists and not by an outside agency.

Local Health Board Medical Director Dr Sue Fish said: “Our patients deserve the best possible care and we would like to reassure patients we take the issues raised in the report very seriously.

“The review did not look at any specific issues relating to individual patients and has not identified any parts of the service that are currently unsafe.

“However, it did make a number of recommendations advising us on how they believe we should configure cardiology services to improve the care of patients across the university health board.

“We will have to consider the recommendations very seriously before reaching a decision on how we implement them.”

Surprisingly, the members of the panel writing the report not only failed to visit West Wales General Hospital, they also failed to visit Bronglais and Withybush Hospitals or to speak to the families of patients who had received treatment at those hospitals.

The conclusion that the panel has drawn is:

“The reality for Withybush and Bronglais is that the current situation is not tenable. Patients served by these hospitals do not appear to receive optimum care.”

Sue Fish responded to the report saying:

“It’s important to stress that no decisions have been made as the project board will need to consider the recommendations with our expert clinicians before firm decisions on the best way forward are made.”

The Health Board will provide its official response to the report at the public board meeting in May. The announcement comes a week to the day after the protest by outraged Pembrokeshire residents at the gradual and ongoing movement of essential health care services away from our County’s only general hospital.

As the Health Board had the report on January 27, it is not clear why its publication was delayed until March 12.

Spokesperson for SWAT Chris Overton said:

“The cardiology move is not a surprise. Very soon all inpatient services will be centralised at Glangwili. There is no room there and nothing is ready!

“The Chairman and Chief Executive are jumping ship. The Welsh Government seem willing to sacrifice a few lives just to save money. None of this was in the Health Board’s consultation, which was a farce. Hopefully we can really expose this now in court! “The next marches and demonstrations need to be much bigger. Are you with us?”

The next protest march to Withybush is scheduled for Saturday, April 12 and a fundraising craft fair will take place on Sunday, April 6 at the Picton Centre, Haverfordwest.

Spokesperson for SWAT Chris Overton said:

“The cardiology move is not a surprise. Very soon all inpatient services will be centralised at Glangwili. There is no room there and nothing is ready!

“The Chairman and Chief Executive are jumping ship. The Welsh Government seem willing to sacrifice a few lives just to save money. None of this was in the Health Board’s consultation, which was a farce. Hopefully we can really expose this now in court!

“The next marches and demonstrations need to be much bigger. Are you with us?”

The next protest march to Withybush is scheduled for Saturday, April 12 and a fundraising craft fair will take place on Sunday, April 6 at the Picton Centre, Haverfordwest.

Continue Reading
4 Comments

4 Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Business

Stephen Crabb leads inquiry on retaining community bank services  

Published

on

PRESELI Pembrokeshire MP, and Chair of the Welsh Affairs Select Committee Stephen Crabb is leading an inquiry in Parliament that will investigate the closure of high street banks in Wales, as well as access to cash.

In November 2023, Pembrokeshire saw the closure of Lloyds Bank in St Davids, and in the coming months both Barclays Bank and Halifax in Haverfordwest are set to close. In recent years, Wales has experienced a rapid decline in the number of high street banking services available to the public. Already in 2024, 23 high street bank closures have been announced in Wales, while automated teller machines (ATMs) declined by nearly a quarter between 2018 and 2023.

The Committee willconsider how declining high street banking services are impacting vulnerable people and small businesses across Wales, who are often more reliant on cash than digital banking. It will also examine how Wales is being affected by the loss of high street bank services, and whether the problem is worse in Wales than other parts of the UK.

Mr Crabb is a staunch advocate for retaining community banking facilities, especially in rural communities like Pembrokeshire where many local branches remain the only source of face-to-face banking provision for miles.

Recently Mr Crabb challenged Barclays Bank senior management on their decision to close the bank branch in Haverfordwest– a move that will see Barclays not only pull out of the county town, but means they won’t have a branch left anywhere in Pembrokeshire. He has also engaged with LINK – the UK’s largest cash machine network – and continues to campaign on the basis that a Banking Hub is established and that ATM machines should be retained or installed, especially in areas worst affected by the closures.  

Following the launch of the inquiry, MP Crabb added: “It is really sad to see so many banks across Wales closing as online banking grows in popularity. Despite the advantages of online banking, for a rural community with an ageing population like Pembrokeshire, bank branches hold huge importance as they offer face-to-face customer service.”

“I am acutely aware of the inconvenience that the bank closures locally have already caused following hundreds of replies from constituents to my ‘online banking survey’ ”

“I am looking forward to gathering further evidence on this subject through the committee’s inquiry, and will continue to put pressure on the relevant stakeholders to ensure that adequate alternative provisions are made through the establishment of banking hubs as well as the instalment of ATM machines where necessary.”

“In this inquiry, we are particularly keen to hear from those likely to be directly affected by the shift away from cash and physical banks. I encourage anyone with first-hand experience of losing banking services to give evidence to the Committee”

Continue Reading

Business

Trains resume between Carmarthen and Pembroke Dock as works end

Published

on

TRAIN services resumed this morning (Thursday 28 March) after ten days of essential round-the-clock work to upgrade track and drainage between Carmarthen and Pembroke Dock.

The railway was closed from Monday 18 March to Wednesday 27 March to allow Network Rail teams to replace more than 200 metres of track and 300 tonnes of ballast (track stones) between Pembroke station and Pembroke Dock.

Work to improve the drainage between Narbeth and Kilgetty stations was also completed at the same time.

Nick Millington, Network Rail Wales and Borders route director, said: “This essential work in Pembrokeshire demonstrates our commitment to improving the reliability of the service we provide to passengers along our route.

“We know that replacing the track can be disruptive and very noisy, so I would like to thank the residents of Pembroke for their patience while our team carried out this crucial work.”

Colin Lea, Planning and Performance Director at Transport for Wales said: “We’re pleased that our colleagues in Network Rail have completed this essential work and that Transport for Wales rail services resumed today.

“We’d like to thank passengers for their patience while this work has progressed and look forward to welcoming passengers back in time for the Easter weekend.”

Continue Reading

News

Welsh Water has increased sewage discharges into waterways ‘by 40%’

Published

on

NEW figures released by the Environment Agency have shown that Dwr Cymru discharged sewage into waterways for a staggering 23,354 hours last year, a 40% increase on 2022. 

The Welsh Liberal Democrats are now calling for tougher action against sewage dumping in Welsh waterways.

The party has also called for a halt on bonuses for water company bosses whose firms have dumped sewage into waterways.

Conservative MPs have consistently voted against measures which would have helped to tackle the crisis.

The Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats Jane Dodds MS said: “It is a complete scandal that filthy sewage is being pumped into our nation’s rivers and waterways without consequence.

“It’s beggars’ belief that both the UK Conservative Government and the Welsh Labour government are allowing water firms to get away with this environmental vandalism.

“We as a party are calling for tougher action to stop sewage being dumped in local waterways. We have also called for a halt on bonuses for water company fat cats whose firms have pumped filth into our waterways.”

Continue Reading

Business1 hour ago

Stephen Crabb leads inquiry on retaining community bank services  

PRESELI Pembrokeshire MP, and Chair of the Welsh Affairs Select Committee Stephen Crabb is leading an inquiry in Parliament that...

News13 hours ago

Police ask motorists to avoid A44 trunk road due to heavy snowfall

DYFED-POWYS POLICE have issued an appeal to motorists to avoid a 25 mile section of the A44 trunk road between...

Crime1 day ago

Woman will quit the booze after seeing shocking drunken video in court

A HAVERFORDWEST woman this week vowed to undertake ‘a complete alcohol abstinence’ after being shown court video footage of her...

News2 days ago

Family heartbroken by loss of ‘larger than life character’ in M4 crash

THE FAMILY of the man who died in a collision on the M4 motorway say ‘he will be greatly missed...

Business2 days ago

Victory for WASPI women but the fight goes on

A LANDMARK ruling by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman could benefit around 5,000 women in Ceredigion born in the...

Entertainment4 days ago

A night to remember: Symphonica Tywi’s ‘Film Fantastics’ was a triumph

ON SATURDAY (Mar 23), Haverfordwest High School was ablaze with the soaring melodies and dramatic scores of some of cinema’s...

News4 days ago

Memorial for all those affected by Covid-19 unveiled at County Hall

A LASTING tribute for Pembrokeshire loved ones lost during the Covid-19 pandemic and those working on the frontline has been...

Top News5 days ago

Princess of Wales announces cancer diagnosis and treatment

CATHERINE, the Princess of Wales, has shared her recent health struggles with the public, revealing a diagnosis that has sent...

Charity6 days ago

RNLI lifeguards back on patrol in Pembrokeshire for the Easter Holidays

RNLI lifeguards will be on patrol once again in Pembrokeshire ahead of the Easter holidays. This Saturday, 23 March 2024,...

Community7 days ago

Neglected Pembrokeshire poodles find their forever homes 

THIRTY poodle type dogs were in total rescued after they were found in an unsuitable environment where their owner also...

Popular This Week