News

‘Once in a lifetime’ reorganisation planned by Health Board

Published

7 years ago

January 19, 2018

THE LOCAL Health Board is embarking on a ‘once in a lifetime’ reorganisational plan which is looking at all potential options to ‘change the status quo and focus on improving health’ of locals.

This will involve, a press release has revealed, transferring more hospital services into the community where appropriate.

This is part of a strategy that the Health Board is looking into, to help solve an acute recruitment problem which is putting a great deal of pressure on the way that the Heath Board operates – and is leading to an untenable level of use of costly temporary staff to plug gaps and services.

In the summer of 2017, the Health Board embarked in an engagement with the public called ‘The Big Conversation’ which involved public workshops and drop-ins being held across the three counties of Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire and Ceredigion.

The Health Board now says the it has independently analysed opinions of the general public and has been using that data to explore, challenge and test different scenarios.

It is yet to be seen what these changes will mean for end service users.

The Herald understands it is likely to mean hospital services being reduced or cut, and replaced with community alternatives.

The Health Board has said it will not make any changes, unless it can guarantee the safety of the people which it serves.

The Health Board has insisted that no preferred option for change has yet been determined, and nothing has been signed off or agreed at this stage.

Medical Director Dr Philip Kloer said: “This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for our health service and community to work together to design an NHS which is fit for our generation and beyond. It has been acknowledged for some time across the UK that healthcare services are challenged like never before and we need significant change. Indeed this has been recognised in the recently published ‘Parliamentary Review of Health & Social Care’ here in Wales.

“We need to develop more proactive, resilient and better resourced local community services to support and improve people’s health and wellbeing, and avoid deterioration where possible. This will involve closer working with our partners, particularly colleagues in social care. We are also looking at ways of providing the most modern clinical practice, using the latest digital, technological, and new scientific developments, in fit for purpose facilities to provide better patient outcomes and experience.

“A number of our services are fragile and dependent on significant numbers of temporary staff, which can lead to poorer quality care. For us specifically in Hywel Dda, the geography we cover is large, with many scattered communities that are getting older, needing more holistic health and social care treatment and support. Because of this, we need to better resource our community based care, which is where most of our patient contact is, and help people manage their health conditions. We also need to evolve traditional ways of working and provide a more proactive approach. This should give patients – young, older and frail and everyone in between – the services they need when the need it, so people do not have to wait too long.

“This will mean changing hospital-based care, as well as community care, and we appreciate the attachment local people and our own staff have for their local hospitals. They have been cared for in them, or work in them, and they also play an important role in our wider communities. The options may propose change to a local hospital; however this is about more than the buildings. This is about investing in our communities, attracting doctors, nurses and therapists by operating a modern healthcare system and keeping hospitals for those who really need hospital care.

“We will not put in place any change that isn’t safe for our patients and population. And we will look at all the impacts from ensuring services are safer with better patient outcomes, to considering the wider impact on people, including the most vulnerable.”

Dr Kloer added: “The potential options are evolving, with changes to them on almost a daily basis. Many will never even reach public consultation, for a variety of reasons including safety, accessibility and affordability, or will change significantly as they are tested against population needs and healthcare standards.

“We will be coming back to the public in the spring with fewer options that have been more rigorously tested and we will open and honest about what we think our preferred option is and why. We would not, and cannot, propose something that would not be safe for our population.

“We live in this community, use our NHS and work for our NHS and we want to work with our patients, staff, partners and public to ensure it is the best it can be.”

Meanwhile, Elin Jones, Ceredigion’s Assembly Member, has called for urgency in the implementation of electronic records for NHS patients in Wales, following the publication of a report by the Wales Audit Office, ‘Informatics systems in NHS Wales’.

The report outlines several of the opportunities that electronic patient records can bring to patients and health boards, as well as the current obstacles to achieving this goal.

Elin Jones, who has long-called for a paperless NHS has welcomed the report, saying: “This is an important step in the development of health services in Wales, which is long-overdue. It would make our NHS more sustainable and more flexible to every patient’s needs.

“I have heard of many instances where patients have turned up to appointments in Llanelli, Swansea or Cardiff, only to find that their medical records have not arrived. These are people who have, in some cases, had to wait a long time for a specialist appointment, and have had to travel long distances, sometimes leaving very early in the morning or have arranged overnight accommodation in order to get to a 9 am appointment.

“Being turned away because their paper record has not arrived is a failure in the current system, and would be addressed directly by electronic records.

“The technology is available, it’s just a case of putting the funding in place.

“With the proper investment into the Welsh NHS by the Welsh Government, electronic patient records can help the NHS to deliver better outcomes for patients and to make more efficient and effective use of scarce financial and human resources.”

Community

Officials announced for 2026 Eisteddfod in Pembrokeshire

Published

4 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

5 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

6 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.