Health

Local health board to consider how children’s hospital services will be delivered

Published

1 year ago

May 18, 2022

HYWEL DDA University Health Board will receive an update on a review into children’s hospital services, and a timeline for further work needed, at a meeting on Thursday 26 May 2022.

Since March 2020, the daytime Paediatric Ambulatory Care Unit at Withybush Hospital, Haverfordwest, referred to as Puffin Ward, has been relocated to Glangwili Hospital, in Carmarthen.

The Board will be asked to approve the proposed approach to the review, to include a clinically-led appraisal of different options for provision of children’s hospital services in the interim years ahead of a new Urgent and Planned Care Hospital being established in the south of the Hywel Dda area.

Deputy Chief Executive and Medical Director Professor Philip Kloer explained: “Our review of the temporary changes to hospital paediatric services in the south of Hywel Dda, began in March this year. One of the first tasks has been developing a detailed scope, project plan and timeline.

“We want to undertake a clinically led appraisal of the options for the service between now and the establishment of the new hospital network, predicted to be around 2029. We want to hear the voices of our stakeholders, building on the feedback and engagement undertaken since 2014, to assess what else may be needed. We continue to work with the Consultation Institute to ensure the scope, approach, and timeline for the engagement are appropriate.”

The Executive Steering Group overseeing this review, is asking Board to approve the option appraisal process to take place in Autumn 2022, as well as an output report back to Board in November 2022. This would outline a list of options for interim paediatric services, and consider, along with the Community Health Council, whether formal engagement and or consultation is needed.

Since March 2020, the daytime Paediatric Ambulatory Care Unit at Withybush Hospital, Haverfordwest, referred to as Puffin Ward, has been relocated to Glangwili Hospital, in Carmarthen.

This was due to the need for space at the hospital for the COVID-19 response. It was later extended due to an expected surge in children with respiratory illnesses (RSV) and the fact that the daytime service was then co-located with overnight services and a children’s high dependency unit, should a child’s condition deteriorate.

What this means is that children with serious illness, across the south of the Hywel Dda area, have been referred, asked to attend, or taken by ambulance, directly to Glangwili Hospital. Children with minor injuries or scheduled outpatient appointments have continued to be able to access this care and treatment at Withybush Hospital, as well as at Cardigan Integrated Care Centre.

In the meantime, the health board continues to monitor the pathway, ensuring it is safe for children and young people, and collecting data including patient outcomes and experiences for consideration in the review.

Children, young people and their families whom have received care from Hywel Dda University Health Board are encouraged to give their feedback on their experiences at any time. You can do this by visiting our website https://hduhb.nhs.wales/ and searching ‘patient feedback’ and you will find age appropriate questionnaires.

Clinical Director for Women & Children’s services, Consultant Paediatrician Dr Prem Kumar Pitchaikani said: “I want to reassure people that whilst this review takes place, we continue to provide stable, clinically safe and high quality hospital children’s services for children and young people across the south of our area from Glangwili Hospital.”

Clinical teams in the Emergency Department at Withybush Hospital and the Welsh Ambulance Service NHS Trust are using a ‘triage tool’ to ensure rapid identification of children with significant illness who may present in Pembrokeshire or Withybush Hospital and quick onward transfer for specialist care.

You can watch the Board Meeting on Thursday 26 May through a link on the Health Board’s web pages – https://hduhb.nhs.wales/about-us/your-health-board/board-meetings-2022/board-agenda-and-papers-26-may-2022/ – which will be added on the day.

Health

Consultation launched on paediatric services at Withybush and Glangwili hospitals

Published

3 days ago

May 29, 2023

Tom Sinclair

BETWEEN May 26 and August 24, 2023, Hywel Dda University Health Board (HDUHB) will be inviting members of the public, staff and partner organisations, to share their views about urgent and emergency children and young people’s (paediatric) services at Withybush and Glangwili hospitals. We are seeking your views on how best to provide these services following a series of temporary changes made since 2016. This is part of the health board’s wider strategy to improve health and care in the region.

Maria Battle, HDUHB Chair, explains: “Following the temporary changes to paediatric services made since 2016, we now need to implement a longer-term solution that will be in place until the proposed new urgent and planned care hospital is developed. We have worked with our clinical and paediatric teams to identify the options for the services in the future and have three options that we would like your views on. At this stage, we do not have a preferred option for how urgent and emergency paediatric services at Withybush Hospital and Glangwili Hospital will be delivered.”

Professor Phil Kloer – Executive Medical Director and Deputy Chief Executive Officer added: “For all three options, it is important to note that access to children’s emergency care will be retained at Glangwili Hospital’s emergency department, and minor injuries for children will continue to be treated at both Withybush and Glangwili hospitals. Also, systems are already in place to ensure that any child or young person with critical conditions arriving at Withybush Hospital has the best care available and in the most appropriate place. This will continue as part of the new service.

“Before making any final decisions, the Board will consider all your feedback at the Board meeting towards the end of 2023 alongside all other evidence and relevant information collated during the process so far.”

Lee Davies, HDUHB Executive Director of Strategy and Planning, said: “During the consultation, the health board will be seeking feedback from everyone in our communities – particularly current and future users of our paediatric services. This is an opportunity to get involved and share your thoughts about the three options we are considering.

“Your views, along with other evidence and considerations, will help Hywel Dda University Health Board choose the most appropriate option for the future of urgent and emergency children and young people’s services at Withybush and Glangwili hospitals. We look forward to meeting with members of our communities during the coming weeks.”

The public drop-in events will be held between 1pm-6pm on:

20 June, Carmarthen Athletics Club, Cillefwr Industrial Estate, Carmarthen
23 June, Phoenix Centre, Goodwick, Fishguard
27 June, Cardigan Leisure Centre, College of Further Education Road, Cardigan
29 June, Pill Social Club, Cellar Hill, Milford Haven
3 July, Haverfordwest Rugby Club, Haverfordwest

In addition to the drop-in events, three online sessions are planned for:

19 June, 10am
22 June, 6.30pm
26 June, 1pm

Details of the consultation, including information on how to register for the online sessions, copies of the consultation documents in a range of formats, and details of how to share your views, will be available on the health board’s website from 26 May: Future Children Services – Hywel Dda University Health Board (nhs.wales)

Health

NHS staff must get Welsh government pay offer without delay, says UNISON

Published

1 week ago

May 25, 2023

Tom Sinclair

NHS workers Wales must receive a newly approved wage rise in their pay pockets as soon as possible, UNISON said this week (Wednesday, May 24)

Leaders at UNISON, the largest health union in Wales, have welcomed the Welsh government decision to sign off the new pay offer but say the money must reach workers without delay.

The offer consists of a 5% wage increase (payable from 1 April 2023) and an additional one-off payment for 2022/23 – worth between £900 and £1,190.

Earlier this month UNISON consulted with staff on Agenda for Change contracts (those directly employed by the NHS) over the Welsh government’s pay offer for 2023/24 and an additional one-off ‘recovery payment’ for the previous financial year.

A significant majority (78%) voted to accept the offer, with just 22% voting to reject.

All NHS unions then met on Monday (May 22) declaring the majority of health unions in favour of the deal and a final decision to implement the offer was made by Welsh government today (Wednesday).

UNISON Cymru/Wales head of bargaining and campaigns Jess Turner said: “We’re pleased the new pay offer will now be rolled out but it’s vital that it reaches pockets of NHS staff in Wales without delay.

“The NHS is one team. Every job and every worker make an essential contribution to patient care.

“Thanks to this deal, NHS staff will receive their pay rise much sooner than in previous years. This sets an expectation for the way NHS pay is approached in future in Wales.”

Health

Alarm as ambulance response times continue to fall short

Published

2 weeks ago

May 18, 2023

Tom Sinclair

PLAID CYMRU politicians have expressed grave concerns as waiting times for ambulances in west Wales continue to fall short of Welsh Government targets.
Data released this week (May 18) by the Welsh Government showed that during April 2023 only 46.8% of immediately life-threatening incidents within the Hywel Dda Health Board area were attended within 8 minutes. There is currently a target for 65% of such severe ‘red’ calls to have a response within 8 minutes.
Figures for west Wales fell below national average – with just over half (53%) of ‘red’ calls across Wales responded to within 8 minutes. In the neighbouring Powys Teaching Health Board, 42.6% of such emergency calls were attended to within the target 8 minutes.
The latest NHS figures also showed that at the end of March 2023, 31,700 patients’ pathways were waiting more than two years for treatment – falling around 5,000 from the previous month.
The Welsh Government had previously set a target that no-one would be waiting for more than 2 years for treatment as at the end of March 2023.
Earlier this year, Plaid Cymru published its five-point plan to help tackle the crisis in the NHS, but this was voted down by Labour.
Responding to the figures, Cefin Campbell, Plaid Cymru Member of the Senedd for Mid & West Wales said: “These latest ambulance response times continue to be alarming. Now we’re into spring, it’s clear that we’re no longer talking about seasonal pressures – but rather a deep-rooted inability to get to grips with the grid-lock in our NHS.
“The figures sadly reflect a growing trend I’m regularly seeing in my inbox and on the doorstep, with constituents across west Wales citing lengthy delays for an ambulance – often with devastating consequences. Whilst I am aware of the unprecedented pressures the pandemic has placed on our hardworking NHS staff and services, clearly urgent action needs to be undertaken to overcome these problems.”
Rhun ap Iorwerth MS, Plaid Cymru’s Health spokesperson added: “Welsh Government’s inability to improve waiting times sufficiently for patients – missing their own targets in the process, and even showing apparent denial that they weren’t on course to meet them – raises serious questions about Labour’s credibility in terms of running the health service. I don’t think it’s impossible for us to put together a vision and to deliver on that vision in a way that delivers better healthcare than we currently see being delivered here in Wales today. But when Labour can’t manage to reach their own targets, it’s hard to have any confidence in their ability to fix these issues.”