Health
Welsh Government intervenes in all Welsh health boards
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THE WELSH GOVERNMENT raised the escalation level of all seven Welsh health boards on Wednesday, September 13, amid concerns about their extreme financial challenges.
Due to the incredibly tough financial climate, health boards have been unable to submit financially balanced Integrated Medium-Term Plans. Those health boards, which were not already in a form of intervention for planning and finance, will be escalated to enhanced monitoring.
Despite already being the subject of targeted intervention regarding finances and planning, Hywel Dda UHB is off target to come within its TARGETED nine-figure overspend.
Health Minister Eluned Morgan said: “It is disappointing that all health boards have been escalated to enhanced monitoring for planning and finance. We do not make these decisions lightly. Our decision reflects our very difficult financial position and the challenges affecting health boards.
“We are seeing operational pressures, long waiting lists, and an extremely challenging financial position in the NHS – but this is not unique to Wales.
“We will support health boards to improve their financial planning positions, but some difficult decisions must be made as we work through this tough financial challenge.
“In the coming weeks and months, together with the NHS, we will be working with the public to outline where savings need to be made to reduce these significant budget deficits.”
CYNICAL MINISTER CRITICISED
Plaid Cymru’s Health and Care spokesperson Mabon ap Gwynfor MS said: “All health boards in Wales are now in some form of escalated measures; this is serious.
“For the Government to publish this as a Written Statement with no opportunity for immediate Senedd scrutiny is a cynical move by a Minister that seems to have lost grip on the entire situation. It should not have taken until now for the Minister to realise the gravity of health boards’ situation and take action.
“The Health Minister must urgently address the implications of escalating intervention arrangements and provide both a clear picture of the financial wellbeing of Health Boards and a meaningful plan that gives confidence to patients, particularly with undoubted winter pressures approaching.”
Welsh Conservative Shadow Health Minister Russell George MS said: “This is a sad indictment of the state of our Labour-run Welsh NHS. After a quarter of a century of successive Labour Health Ministers, every health board in Wales is now at some level of government intervention due to poor performance.
“While it is positive that the Labour Health Minister is taking some action by acknowledging the dire state of our Welsh NHS, I have little faith, given the lack of improvements we are seeing in health boards already being monitored, that much will change in the coming months.
Health
10-mile trek raises £1,000 for stroke unit
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A TEAM of 18 from CARA Wales took on a 10-mile trek and raised £1,000 for the Stroke Ward at Withybush Hospital.
The team from CARA Wales, an agricultural and rural consultancy and advice organisation, walked across the Preseli Mountains from Foel Drygan to Foel Eryr on 17th June 2023.
Mererid Sandbrook, who works for CARA Wales, said: “The walk started in Crymych and continued along the Golden Road up to Foel Eryr, the highest point of Preseli Mountain. It was a really enjoyable day.
“We were all really pleased to have raised such a great amount of money. We would like to thank everyone who donated money towards our challenge.”
They also raised £1,000 for Stroke Association.
Nicola Llewelyn, Head of Hywel Dda Health Charities, the official charity of Hywel Dda University Health Board, said: “We’d like to say a big thank you to CARA Wales for taking on the 10-mile trek in aid of the Stroke Ward.
“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.”
Your donations are making a positive difference to the health, wellbeing and experience of NHS patients, service users and staff. For more details about the charity and how you can help support local NHS patients and staff, go to www.hywelddahealthcharities.org.uk
Health
Hywel Dda to engage on Tregaron Community Hospital beds
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HYWEL DDA University Health Board is inviting members of the public to share their views about the potential of decommissioning the nine beds currently at Tregaron Community Hospital.
The proposal for a new model of care, which is part of the broader Cylch Caron project, will see the move of care from the hospital to people’s own homes enabled through a different model of support. This can only be achieved by staff working in different ways, focused on keeping people well at home, and with more available to help people in the community.
Peter Skitt, County Director Ceredigion at Hywel Dda University Health Board explains: “Members of our local community will be familiar with our vision, which includes the development of the Cylch Caron model of care that includes an integrated resource centre.”
Dr Sion James, Deputy Medical Director Primary Care and local GP for Tregaron, adds: “Tregaron Hospital has been a part of our local community for a number of years, and we need to provide our community with a range of services that meets their current and future needs.
“The Centre is an exciting and unique project that aims to offer many opportunities and benefits for people in the area. This will bring together a range of services in a central hub for the Tregaron and surrounding rural areas. The project will create an innovative rural model of community-based care to meet care, health and housing need in the area, which is fit for today and sustainable for tomorrow.”
The Cylch Caron scheme is being developed in partnership between Ceredigion County Council, Hywel Dda University Health Board and the Welsh Government. It will consist of a GP surgery, community pharmacy, outpatient clinics and community nursing and social care facilities, as well as extra care flats and integrated health and social care units.
Ceredigion County Council recently announced that they are inviting companies to tender for the design and build of the new fully-integrated health, social care and housing centre.
Peter adds: “While we develop our Cylch Caron scheme, we also need to consider our current model of care for patients at Tregaron Hospital. Despite efforts to recruit to positions, our current level of staffing is insufficient, and our staffing rotas are fragile. Our staff have voiced how challenging it is to support our patients through our current model of care at Tregaron Hospital. Our proposal is to move our staff from being hospital based and looking after the nine beds, to being community based. This will enable us to support more patients in their homes.
The Cylch Caron model of care is focused on providing more community nursing and enhanced care in people’s own homes. This would be achieved through outreach nursing and increased provision of same day urgent care. Outpatient appointments will continue to be provided from Tregaron Hospital and the building will serve as a hub for our staff until the new Cylch Caron Integrated Resource Centre is built.
Peter continues: “We know that being close to home, or in their home, is important for our patients. We want to increase the opportunity for people in Ceredigion to be able to stay well for longer, with the support of enhanced staffing in their own homes.
“At the moment, the patients in our care at Tregaron hospital live more than ten miles away from the hospital, and most are medically fit. And this has been common for a long time. Our proposal to move our staff to focus on advanced care in people’s homes provides a different way of supporting our patients. It will enable us to deliver our community care model quicker and support more people in our communities.
“Patients have consistently shared that they would prefer to be at home, or closer to home, and this tends to enable their recovery. We will work with our patients and their families, and our broader community, to understand their views during the planned period of engagement.”
The proposal to decommission the nine beds and the engagement period will be discussed at the Board meeting held on 25 July. The four-week period of engagement will launch on 1 August and run until 29 August 2024. Individuals will be able to attend online and in-person events and be able to share their views through the Health Board’s Have Your Say portal. Feedback from the engagement will be presented to the September meeting of the Health Board.
Further information on the events and how individuals can share their views will be shared at the end of July.
Health
Equipment and games for Glangwili children’s ward thanks to donations
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THANKS to donations, Hywel Dda Health Charities, the official charity of Hywel Dda University Health Board, has been able to provide equipment and games worth over £300 to Cilgerran Ward at Glangwili Hospital.
The NHS charity funded TV brackets, universal remotes, Nintendo Switch cases and Nintendo games including FIFA, Chocobo and Minecraft Dungeons.
Karen Thomas, Head of Therapeutic Play, said: “We are so grateful that charitable funds have allowed us to purchase more items for Cilgerran Ward.
“The new items will help the therapeutic play team work more effectively and focus their time on the children and young people in our care.
“Being able to play while in hospital means the children and young people can continue an aspect of their normal life. Arts and crafts help as they go through treatments and procedures in hospital, minimising the effects of isolation, stress and anxiety.
“The items will help make the ward and all the areas the children attend more friendly and promote wellbeing for all.”
Nicola Llewelyn, Head of Hywel Dda Health Charities, the official charity of Hywel Dda University Health Board, 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.”
For 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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