Health
Pembrokeshire links to Chester Hospital CEO in centre of Lucy Letby row
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THE SHOCKING case of Lucy Letby, a nurse found guilty of murdering seven babies and attempting to kill six others, has resonated across the medical community. This national scandal has taken a local twist with revelations of its ties to Pembrokeshire.
Tony Chambers, who once held a key position at Hywel Dda health board, and was often based at Withybush Hospital, Haverfordwest, moved on to become the Chief Executive at Countess of Chester Hospital around February 2013. Chambers was at the helm during the harrowing incidents involving Letby. According to the Guardian, he had directed senior doctors to apologise to Letby in 2017, even amidst ongoing concerns over her actions. These apologies were premised on two external reviews which did not specifically delve into Letby’s involvement in the infant deaths.
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Back in 2010, as the director of planning, performance, and delivery, Tony Chambers initiated the downgrading of Withybush hospital. A leaked document from the Hywel Dda Health Board outlined long-term plans to remove histopathology from Withybush. Addressing this leaked information, Chambers stated that the report had been commissioned in light of increasing concerns regarding the “fragility” of the histopathology service. He remarked, “There is an issue around the safety and sustainability of that service. All you’ve got is a report with a range of options and a few recommendations but there’s no process around decision making, around a preferred option. We’ve tried to explain to you that safety and quality is our bottom line, but irrespective of all of that, your concern is that something is moving out.”
In 2012, autopsy and cellular pathology services were shifted from Withybush Hospital to Carmarthen. The local press acquired a document detailing the proposal to merge Cellular Pathology Laboratory and Autopsy Services. This report suggested the transfer of cellular pathology laboratory resources from Withybush to Glangwili and centralising all autopsies at the latter location. Chambers, who was instrumental in this decision, cited the need to address safety concerns. He stated, “The community health council has been fully briefed and we are currently engaging with staff and no decisions have been made.”
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Furthermore, The Pembrokeshire Herald understands that Tony Chambers left his latest position with a hefty pension, estimated at £1 million. Subsequently, he held several other lucrative positions within the NHS.
The revelations of senior doctors being asked to extend apologies and express trust, particularly when suspicions loomed large, portrays a concerning picture. Chambers appears central to this narrative, with his decisions from both his tenure in Pembrokeshire and at Countess of Chester coming under the scanner.
Throughout the trial we heard that Lucy Letby’s colleagues were ordered to apologise to her after repeatedly raising concerns that the nurse may have been behind a series of unexplained baby deaths.
Senior doctors had warned for months that Letby was the only staff member present during the sudden collapses and deaths of a number of premature babies on the Countess of Chester hospital’s neonatal unit.
She was not removed from the ward until early July 2016, a year after a doctor first alerted a hospital executive to a potential link. By that time she had murdered seven babies and attempted to kill another six, a court found on Friday.
The Countess of Chester hospital NHS foundation trust is facing serious questions about how it responded to concerns raised about Letby and whether it should have acted sooner.
Hospital executives ordered a formal review into the spike in deaths in June 2016, a year after Letby’s killings began. Letby was removed from the unit the following month, and the police were not contacted for almost another year after that.
After the conclusion of the 10-month trial, a Guardian investigation based on new documents, interviews with hospital consultants and reporting from the trial, has found that: According to two consultant paediatricians, in July 2016 a hospital executive said contacting the police would damage the hospital’s reputation and turn the neonatal unit into a crime scene, after one senior doctor recommended bringing in criminal investigators.
As stated, Tony Chambers’ apology was ordered on the basis of two external reviews, which executives felt exonerated Letby. However, neither review was designed to examine whether she, or any other member of staff, was responsible for the deaths and both recommended that several deaths be investigated further. Doctors were told in early 2017 that Letby’s parents had threatened to refer them to the General Medical Council after her removal from the unit, according to internal documents.
While the grim events at Countess of Chester are a national tragedy, for Pembrokeshire residents, they also signify the need for introspection, especially given Chambers’ connection to local medical decision-making.
CONCERNS IN NORTH WALES
Welsh Conservative Shadow Minister for North Wales, Darren Millar MS, has called for a statement and assurances from the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board in the wake of the Lucy Letby trial.
Letby, who worked as a nurse at the Countess of Chester Hospital, was found guilty of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder six more in a trail that ended this week.
Commenting on the issue, Welsh Conservative Shadow Minister for North Wales, Darren Millar MS said:
“This is a devasting and shocking case which is causing a great deal of alarm in North Wales.
“Maternity services at the Countess of Chester Hospital have been used by many mothers from North East Wales over many years. So, it is vital that the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board makes a statement about when it was altered to concerns about baby deaths at the Countess of Chester and whether pregnant women from North Wales continued to be referred to the hospital after that date.”
“The people of North Wales need these assurances from the Health Board and the Welsh Government’s Health Minister, given that the NHS in North Wales was in special measures at the time that concerns were raised.”
He added: “We also need to know what action is being taken to ensure that there is full disclosure of such concerns in the future when cross border healthcare arrangements are in place between one NHS body and another to ensure that patients are protected from unsure risk of harm.”
Health
‘Serious concerns’ at Welsh mortuary after body mix-ups
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ASSESSORS found “evidence of active ongoing risks and significant areas of concern” at a hospital mortuary, five months after the wrong bodies were released to two bereaved families.
As a result, the UK’s national accreditation service has partially suspended its official recognition of mortuary activities at the Grange University Hospital, in Cwmbran.
Aneurin Bevan University Health Board said it has put in safeguards against any further incidents, and is working with the mortuary staff to “deliver continued improvements”.
The two separate incidents occurred at the hospital in November 2023, triggering an internal investigation, as well as inspections by the Human Tissue Authority (HTA), which licenses the health board’s post mortem procedures.
News of the second incident also prompted an unannounced visit from the UK Accreditation Service (UKAS) in early April.
UKAS is not a regulatory body, but acts as a government-recognised, independent organisation commissioned to “assess against nationally and internationally agreed standards”.
At the Grange, its assessors found “evidence of a lack of standardisation” in the procedures for patient release, five months after the two “serious” incidents.
Deceased patients arriving at the mortuary from the community have different identification tags and paperwork from those who arrive there from the hospital, and there is also “inconsistency” with information added into the mortuary register, they said.
UKAS also raised concerns about a “lack of security measures in place”, including CCTV coverage, and no list of personnel with access to the facility.
In all, UKAS found seven “areas of improvement” and decided to partially suspend its accreditation of the Grange’s mortuary service, subject to review, over what an assessor called “serious concerns on security and safe patient management”.
A spokesman for Aneurin Bevan University Health Board said the two “unprecedented” incidents at the mortuary “were found to have the same root cause”.
He said the health board launched its own investigation, audited the department, and introduced safeguards against repeat incidents – and has to date completed 17 of 19 recommendations made by its own investigators.
Five further corrective actions mandated by licensing agency the HTA had been “met satisfactorily across the health board”, he added.
“It is important to note that UKAS is not a regulatory body, and that UKAS accreditation is not a mandatory requirement, but we voluntarily ask them to review our services to maintain good practice,” the spokesman said.
The health board is now making changes at the mortuary, based on several of the investigations’ findings.
“Enhanced CCTV is being implemented”, said the spokesman, adding that “all our mortuary sites are secure, with swipe card access in place”.
“In addition, all relevant procedures have been updated and staff have been given further training to provide additional assurance,” he said.
“We continue to address all recommendations from the HTA and UKAS, and a transformational team is working alongside our mortuary staff to deliver continued improvements.”
Reporting by Nicholas Thomas, Local Democracy Reporter
Health
Asthma attacks nearly triple as children return to school, charity warns
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ASTHMA hospitalisations among children in Wales nearly triple when they return to school in September, according to newly released data. The alarming trend has prompted leading health charity, Asthma + Lung UK Cymru, to urge parents and teachers to take precautions to protect young asthma sufferers.
The data, compiled by Digital Health and Social Care Wales, reveals that hospital admissions for children aged 5 to 19 increase by a staggering 175% in September compared to August. This spike in asthma-related hospitalisations has reached its highest level in four years, with admissions returning to pre-pandemic levels.
With an estimated 59,000 children in Wales diagnosed with asthma, the charity attributes the increase to a “perfect storm” of factors that coincide with the start of the school year. Many children, having fallen out of their regular medication routines over the summer holidays, return to school with poorly controlled asthma. The new term also brings increased exposure to triggers such as colds, flu viruses, dust mites, pollen, and even the emotional stress associated with returning to the classroom. These factors can lead to life-threatening asthma attacks or exacerbate symptoms like breathlessness, coughing, and wheezing.
One mother, Branwen Niclas from Anglesey, shared her experiences with her eight-year-old son, Huw, who was diagnosed with asthma in 2023. Huw has been hospitalised multiple times due to severe asthma attacks, including one in December 2022 that left him breathless and exhausted. “The autumn and winter school term is always a worry,” Niclas said. “Cold and wet weather really affects Huw’s asthma, and he often misses out on playing football with his friends.”
She recounted a particularly frightening episode when Huw, then six, deteriorated rapidly during a long car journey. “I could see his tummy and chest muscles were working so hard. Huw collapsed on the way out of the car, and I carried him in [to the hospital], and he was immediately put on a nebuliser. It took him a week to fully recover.”
Joseph Carter, Head of Asthma + Lung UK Cymru, expressed deep concern over the rising number of children being hospitalised. “Children’s asthma admissions are the highest in four years and are returning to pre-pandemic levels. We must break this trend,” Carter said. He highlighted the role of cold and flu viruses, which begin to circulate more widely as children mix at school after the summer break, as well as other potential triggers like high pollen levels and the use of cleaning products in schools.
To combat this worrying trend, Carter advised parents to ensure their children maintain their asthma treatment routines during the holidays and to make sure they have their reliever inhalers with them when they return to school. He also urged schools to be vigilant and prepared to act swiftly in case of an asthma emergency.
Asthma + Lung UK Cymru has issued additional guidance for parents, recommending that they arrange an asthma review for their child, update their child’s asthma action plan, and check the school’s policies regarding inhaler use.
For more information and advice on managing childhood asthma, parents can visit the Asthma + Lung UK website or contact their helpline.
The charity is also encouraging schools to download and display a free poster outlining the vital steps to take if a pupil has an asthma attack.
Asthma + Lung UK Cymru continues to campaign for better awareness and support for children with asthma, aiming for a world where everyone can breathe with healthy lungs.
Health
Charitable donations fund state-of-the-art ultrasound system for Glangwili
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THANKS to generous donations, Hywel Dda Health Charities – the official charity of Hywel Dda University Health Board – has purchased a state-of-the-art ultrasound system worth over £43,000 for the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) in Glangwili Hospital.
An ultrasound scan, sometimes called a sonogram, is a procedure that uses high-frequency sound waves to create an image of part of the inside of the body.
The new system features advanced clinical tools which enable fast assessments of patients, support clinical decision making, aid in performing invasive procedures, and help monitor patient progress.
The ultrasound system will be used daily for patient care and will also be used to train ICU staff and develop their skills.
Sarah Carmody, Service Manager – Critical Care, said: “We are so grateful that generous donations from our local communities have enabled us to purchase the new ultrasound system.
“It means our intensive care staff will have access to a mobile, multi-purpose ultrasound which reduces examination time and helps them conduct rapid assessments of patients receiving critical care.
“The new system has enhanced features such as the ability to communicate and store images within existing IT systems.
“It will greatly enhance patient care and diagnostics and help guide management of critically ill patients.”
Nicola Llewelyn, Head of Hywel Dda Health Charities, said: “The support of our local communities enables us to provide services over and above what the NHS can provide in the three counties of Hywel Dda and we are extremely grateful for every donation we receive.”
http://www.hywelddahealthcharities.org.ukFor more details about the charity and how you can help support local NHS patients and staff, go to www.hywelddahealthcharities.org.uk
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