Health

Leaflet to calm fears over A&E downgrade

Published

3 years ago

October 22, 2021

Health board will explain how to get urgent care for children, as local NHS continues to be under extreme pressure

RESIDENTS in Pembrokeshire are being asked to look out for a leaflet about children’s hospital services, which will be delivered to households from next week (Week commencing 25 October 2021).

The leaflet will explain why temporary changes to re-locate the children’s daytime unit (PACU/Puffin Ward) and its specialist staff from Withybush Hospital, Haverfordwest, to Glangwili Hospital, Carmarthen, have been extended into 2022. It will also provide information on how to access the right care for a child when they are unwell.

Medical Director and Deputy Chief Executive of Hywel Dda University Health Board Dr Philip Kloer said: “We hope the leaflet will be a useful, quick guide for parents and carers to keep handy in the home. We know that making decisions when a child is sick or injured can be stressful and we hope this guide will help.

“It includes a QR code which will take you to our dedicated web resource on children’s services, where there are also alternative versions of the leaflet and contact details for people who wish to share their experience of care.”

The temporary move of the service was made in spring 2020 due to the need for space within the hospital to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. It has been extended due to the continuation of the pandemic and also to ensure that the increasing number of children with respiratory illnesses access specialist care when needed.

It means that Withybush Hospital currently treats only children with minor injuries such as minor wounds, minor burns or scalds, insect bites, potential broken bones if not badly misshaped, minor head or face injuries, or foreign bodies in the nose or ear; and booked outpatient appointments.

Children with serious illnesses or injuries are treated at Glangwili Hospital where there is a co-located Emergency Department and children’s hospital services, including an overnight children’s ward, children’s high dependency unit and children’s daytime (ambulatory) care.

Multi-professional clinicians, including local senior doctors in children’s care (paediatrics), emergency medicine, and anaesthetics, have supported the recommendation and the need for clearer messaging to the public in order to reduce the risk of delays in the treatment of children and young people.

Clinical Director for Women & Children’s services, Dr Prem Kumar Pitchaikani said: “We need to avoid the delay that may be caused when a child is brought to Withybush Emergency Department only to need a transfer to Glangwili Hospital. The continuation of this temporary service change, will ensure that very ill children, including the increasing number of children likely to have respiratory viruses this winter, will get access to their definitive treatment more quickly. They can also be monitored and treated quickly by specialists in the event that they deteriorate.”

Clinical Director for Emergency Medicine, and senior consultant at Withybush Hospital Emergency and Urgent Care Centre Dr Nicola Drake said: “It is critically important that sick children have the support of specialist paediatricians at the earliest opportunity. They also need early access to specialised equipment that is provided and monitored by paediatricians.”

The intention is to continue with the temporary position and commence a review in March 2022, with a report back to the Health Board in autumn 2022. The review will be scrutinised by the Health Board and Hywel Dda Community Heath Council and will include measuring outcomes for children and young people, as well as patient experiences and the views of communities.

More information on how and when the access children’s healthcare services locally is available on our website if you search ‘children’s services’.

If you have an experience of children’s services you wish to share with us, please search the website for ‘patient survey’ or ‘complaints’; email: [email protected]; or telephone: 0300 0200 159.

We will engage with our communities about the future of children’s services in 2022, but if you want to share your views at this point please; email: [email protected]; write to: FREEPOST HYWEL DDA HEALTH BOARD (you will not need a stamp); call: 01554 899 056 (this telephone number is not staffed, but messages will be recorded).

*Please note these changes affect children’s services at Withybush Hospital only and adult services at the hospital remain the same. Paediatric services at Bronglais Hospital, Aberystwyth, remain the same. There is no change to Prince Philip Hospital, Llanelli.

Where to get help if my child is unwell?

Call 999 if your child has serious injuries or a life-threatening illness, including severe difficulty or irregular breathing, blueness around the lips, is pale, mottled and abnormally cold, has a fit or seizure, is extremely distressed, is very lethargic or unresponsive, develops a rash that does not disappear with pressure, or has testicular pain.

Go to a Minor Injury Unit (24/7 at Withybush Hospital; weekdays, daytime only and for children over 12-months at Tenby Hospital and Cardigan Integrated Care Centre) if your child has minor wounds, minor burns or scalds, insect bites, potential broken bones if not badly misshaped, minor head or face injuries, or foreign bodies in the nose or ear.

Contact your GP today if your child has an illness that won’t go away, indicated for example by a high temperature, shivering, muscle pain, cough, wheezing, increased effort to breath, persistent vomiting/diarrhoea/severe tummy pain, blood in their poo or wee, or dehydration. Call NHS 111 Wales (24/7) for urgent advice if you are unsure what to do. Call 111 for urgent help when your usual GP surgery, or other primary care service, is closed.

*You may be asked to take your child to Glangwili Hospital Emergency Department if input from specialist children’s doctors is required.

Treat at home or contact your pharmacist if your child has a minor illness or ailment such as a sore throat, cough, skin irritation, or if a young person needs emergency contraception. You can get help online by searching ‘NHS 111 Wales symptom checker’. Some pharmacies offer treatment without appointment for low level injuries.

If you are deaf or speech-impaired you can access 999 services using the Relay UK app and dialling 999, or NHS 111 by dialling 18001 111.

Community

Baby loss remembrance service at Withybush Hospital

Published

4 hours ago

September 19, 2024

Tom Sinclair

THE ANNUAL baby loss remembrance service will take place on Tuesday 1 October 2024 at St Luke’s Chapel in Withybush Hospital in Haverfordwest at 7.00pm.

The ‘Forget Me Not’ service is part of the health board’s commitment to Baby Loss Awareness week (9-15 October) and is arranged by Midwifery and Bereavement teams and led by the Spiritual Care Department (Chaplaincy).

Euryl Howells, Senior Chaplain at Hywel Dda University Health Board, said: “Experiencing the loss of a baby is an incredibly painful experience, and the service allows parents and their families to reflect and remember surrounded by support and love.

The service has long been a source of comfort for parents and families and will include prayers and readings, as well as poems and music to reflect. The service offers the opportunity for people to come together and remember the lives of babies who are sadly no longer with us.

Euryl Howells continued: “The loss of a baby through miscarriage, stillbirth or neonatal death is overwhelming and emotional. We meet families during some of their darkest days and to meet them sometimes after months or years after their bereavement is a privilege and special to staff.”

Should you require further information please contact Euryl Howells by telephone or email 01267 227563 or [email protected]

If you are unable to attend the service and wish to commemorate your loved one, please send a message to [email protected] by 29 September 2024.

Health

St Davids Surgery will close despite strong opposition, residents told

Published

8 hours ago

September 19, 2024

Tom Sinclair

HYWEL DDA has confirmed the closure of St Davids Surgery this week, dismissing widespread local opposition and calls for reconsideration. This decision follows a packed public meeting where residents voiced their concerns about the loss of the vital healthcare facility.

The announcement to close the surgery was made in July, with the health board revealing that the surgery would shut down next month when its only GP resigns from the General Medical Services contract. Around 3,000 patients are registered at the surgery and will now be transferred, mainly to Solva Surgery, with others sent to Fishguard and Haverfordwest surgeries depending on their location.

This decision sparked significant backlash from the local community. A drop-in session held at City Hall saw hundreds of St Davids residents lining up outside the doors to express their concerns directly to the health board. Protest banners sprang up around the city, highlighting the depth of public feeling against the closure.

Undeterred, the residents of St Davids have continued their efforts to save the surgery.

Last week, more than 150 people gathered at City Hall for a meeting to discuss possible next steps. Topics included appealing the health board’s decision and exploring the option of the community purchasing the surgery building.

Despite the strong local campaign, the health board has stated it will not reconsider its decision. In a letter to campaigners, it acknowledged the concern and disappointment caused but confirmed that a branch surgery will be set up in St Davids. This new branch will offer services from a multi-professional team for a minimum of 20 hours per week but will not include any sessions run by a physician associate, limiting support for doctors in patient care.

The health board plans to begin the patient transition process in the coming weeks. The management team is collaborating with staff at both St Davids Surgery and Solva Surgery to develop a new model of general practice. This model aims to meet the health board’s statutory requirement to provide appropriate services for St Davids residents by the end of October.

Hywel Dda Health Board has expressed its commitment to ongoing cooperation with the Peninsular Working Group. It has also pledged to review the general medical services (GMS) provision in six months to ensure it continues to meet patients’ needs. In addition, health board engagement events on the development of primary and community services strategy are scheduled throughout September.

Dr Neil Wooding, the newly appointed chairperson of Hywel Dda University Health Board, and acting CEO Prof Phil Kloer addressed the decision: “In making the decision to support the managed list dispersal of the current St Davids Surgery, members of the board were presented with all of the facts related to patient demographics, travel times, etc. This also included discussions with the current owners of the surgery building, Llais, and the local medical committee.”

“We will not revisit this decision but will continue to work with the community of St Davids to mitigate any negative impact of this development where possible,” they added.

While the health board remains firm in its decision, the residents of St Davids are determined to keep fighting for local healthcare services, hoping to minimise the impact of the surgery’s closure on their community.

Health

Better pregnancy or baby loss bereavement care for people in Wales

Published

1 day ago

September 18, 2024

Tom Sinclair

SANDS the UK’s leading pregnancy and baby loss charity, is supporting the National Strategic Clinical Network for Maternity and Neonatal Services to create tailored bereavement care pathways for those who have experienced pregnancy or baby loss in Wales.

The pathways aim to reduce inequalities and improve the quality of bereavement care provided to parents and families, and has been made possible by funding from the Welsh Government. The pathway materials will include guidance for healthcare professionals based on evidenced best-practice, and a set of standards relating to important aspects of bereavement care.

Good quality bereavement care is vital for parents who have experienced the loss of a pregnancy, or whose baby has died. It includes sensitive communication with parents, providing a bereavement room away from maternity or labour wards, and parents being given informed choices about decisions relating to their care and the care of their babies.
Clea Harmer, Sands’ Chief Executive, said: “Everyone affected by pregnancy loss or the death of a baby deserves high quality bereavement care and support.

“We know that no level of care can remove the grief that many parents will feel after pregnancy loss or the death of a baby, but good care can make this devastating experience feel more manageable. We also know that poor quality or insensitively delivered care can compound and exacerbate pain.

“This launch follows a huge amount of hard work and determination from our partner organisations, the generous support of many bereaved parents and families, and medical professionals who have shared their experiences.

“We hope that through supporting the National Strategic Clinical Network for Maternity and Neonatal Services, we can work together to make sure everyone affected by pregnancy or baby loss gets the care that they need.”

In developing the pathways for Wales, Sands carried out a series of listening events for parents and health professionals during 2024, to understand how bereavement care in Wales can be improved.

These insights will be incorporated into work with the National Strategic Clinical Network for Maternity and Neonatal Services to introduce pathways to address specific needs after miscarriage, Termination of Pregnancy for Foetal Anomaly (TOPFA), stillbirth, neonatal death or Sudden Unexpected Death in Infancy (SUDI).

Chief Midwifery Officer for Wales, Karen Jewell said: “We are delighted that we have been able to support this important initiative to develop and implement a National Bereavement Care Pathway for Pregnancy and Baby Loss.

“Pregnancy loss or the death of a baby is devastating, and this initiative will help to ensure that every family who suffer from this are appropriately and compassionately supported.

“Our significant investment into bereavement services will improve care and ensure consistency across Wales, the Bereavement Support Grant will continue to support organisations like Sands to extend and deepen bereavement support and fill the gaps that currently exist.”

Healthcare professionals are an important part of the Sands community, and the charity wants to support them to deliver good bereavement care. The pathways will introduce dedicated support for medical staff who care for bereaved families in Wales.

Cara Moore, Lead Midwife from the National Strategic Clinical Network for Maternity and Neonatal Services said: “We are thrilled to be leading the development and implementation of the development and implementation of bereavement care pathways in Wales in collaboration with Sands. The development of pathways will ensure consistent high quality and sensitive bereavement care is offered to all bereaved parents in Wales. This will be supported through training, interdisciplinary collaboration and continuous monitoring and promises a sustained improvement in the experiences of bereaved parents.

“We are also pleased that the implementation of the pathways align with and supports long term plans for the delivery of high quality maternity and neonatal care in Wales.”

Marc Harder, Head of Bereavement Care & Hospital Liaison at Sands, said: “Earlier this year, bereaved parents and families in Wales generously shared their stories of pregnancy and baby loss with us during a series of listening events. Key themes that arose included gaps in compassionate care, inappropriate and insensitive medical terminology, care outside of the hospital and inconsistency in bereavement care provision.

“We are delighted to be working in partnership with the National Strategic Clinical Network for Maternity and Neonatal Services to develop bereavement care pathways that will begin to address these concerns and lead to higher quality care at such a difficult time for parents and families. We will continue to work with parents, professionals and other stakeholders to ensure an evidence-based and community-led approach to the development of Wales-specific pathways.”

More information about the bereavement care pathways in Wales
The project in Wales is led by Sands in collaboration with a number of other charities and professional organisations, and funded by the Welsh Government. The project provides dedicated, evidence-based care pathways designed for all healthcare professionals and staff involved in the care of women, birthing people, partners and families at all stages of pregnancy and baby loss.

Five experiences of pregnancy or baby loss are included in the pathway project including miscarriage, TOPFA, stillbirth, neonatal death and SUDI.

Sands is here to support all bereaved families in Wales and across the UK. The charity provides support through its Freephone helpline, online community and resources, and through a network of regional support groups run by trained befrienders, all offering in-person peer support.
Find out more about all the ways the charity offers bereavement support.