Health

Health annual meeting reflects on another extraordinary year

Published

7 months ago

September 29, 2023

REFLECTING on what it calls ‘yet another extraordinary year’, Hywel Dda University Health Board has looked back at its achievements and challenges throughout 2022/23 during its annual general meeting.

Held today [Thursday 28 September 2023], the AGM reviewed the organisation’s Annual Report, including its financial accounts. The report and presentations set out to staff, patients, and the public what has been achieved between 1 April 2022 and 31 March 2023, what has been challenging, and how the health board intends improve services for local people.

The main themes included how the health board is progressing against its strategic objectives, its ongoing response to COVID-19 and its performance against a number of measures including planned care, urgent and emergency care, cancer, mental health, neurodevelopment services, infection control and workforce.

Reference was made to new initiatives to support patients and improve services, progress through research and partnership opportunities, workforce developments and capital developments across the three counties. Progress on well-being objectives, Welsh language services, and the health board’s submission of its programme business case for £1.3billion investment in its long-term strategy was provided. Praise was also given to all staff, including those who have won or been shortlisted for dozens of local and national awards as well as for the health board as an employer.

The support of patients, families and local communities for the health board’s charity, Hywel Dda Health Charities, was also recognised. Examples were provided of fundraising activities which contributed to £3.99million charitable income, and of the many services and activities above and beyond core NHS expenditure which were charitable funded.

In addition to the presentation of the Annual Report and financial accounts, the Annual General Meeting also heard from members of the Apprenticeship Academy. Representatives of the health board’s apprentices shared what they have enjoyed about their time with the health board, and how they are looking forward to advancing their career within the organisation.

Maria Battle, Chair of Hywel Dda University Health Board said: “This annual event gives us an opportunity to reflect on another extraordinary year, but also to look ahead to 2023/24. While things are still very challenging for the NHS, we have a clear vision to help us recover from the impact of the pandemic, address our long-standing financial challenge, and build a health system resilient and sustainable for the future.

“We recognise too that access to a wide range of services has been constrained over the past three years, resulting in delays in treatment and care within our health board. We are deeply sorry if you have experienced delays in access to your care and treatment. While we have made significant progress in reducing the number of patients who are waiting for treatment, we are aware that it remains difficult for people who are still waiting, or have their treatment further delayed. We are committed to further reducing our waiting lists to pre-pandemic levels and meeting the Welsh Government target.

“The highly focused response to the pandemic has left a financial legacy too. We could not identify and deliver savings and efficiencies in the way we would normally, and as a result we faced significant financial challenges as funding for the COVID-19 response tailed off, leaving us needing to make up for two years of lost time.

“The resolve of our staff continues to astound us, with colleagues committed to delivering the best possible patient care in difficult circumstances.

“Being the last AGM I will chair before my retirement from the health board in October, I want to take this opportunity to sincerely thank everyone working in and with Hywel Dda University Health Board, whatever your role. Thank you also to all our volunteers, and our partners, for your extraordinary service caring for patients and our communities during these challenging times.”

The Annual Report details areas where the health board’s performance needs to improve, along with mitigations and actions being taken, in areas such as waiting times for planned care, outpatient, mental health, neurodevelopment services, and infection control. Performance in these and other areas have been negatively impacted by issues with patient flow, patient acuity, demand and capacity, and staff shortages.

Quality improvement continues to be a key focus across the organisation to ensure the safest and best care for our patients and community, and part of this work involves listening to and acting on the feedback received from those who use our services.

Through close working with its partners on a shared vision for our communities to live healthy, joyful lives, the health board continues to engage with local people on topics such as its health and care strategy and the land appraisal process for a proposed new hospital, the future of children and young people’s services, as well as changes to some local GP practices.

The health Board has also worked in partnership to support vulnerable groups, care homes, social care and safe discharge, developed new opportunities with local universities and continues as an active member of the Dyfed-Powys Local Resilience Forum.

Community

Fresh pleas to save much-needed Pembroke Dock day centre

Published

8 hours ago

May 7, 2024

Bruce Sinclair - Local Democracy Reporter

A PLEA to keep Pembroke Dock’s Anchorage Day Centre open is to be heard at a full meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council next week.

The Anchorage Day Care Centre in Pembroke Dock has been a “safe and happy place” for adults with learning difficulties and additional needs for decades.

In more recent years it has expanded to support elderly dementia sufferers.

But now the centre is expected to close, with services instead being offered elsewhere in the county, including Haverfordwest and Milford Haven.

A series of engagement events have taken place at The Anchorage recently, outlining the reasons and the options in continued service.

One parent, who wished to remain anonymous, said: “One young woman who attends ran out of the first meeting sobbing when she was told it was going to close. Another, at the second meeting, tried to address the meeting but was so choked up at the thought of not seeing her friends anymore she could hardly speak.”

In a submitted question to be heard at the May 9 meeting, member of the public Peter Welsh will ask: “Is the council aware of the huge impact the impending closure of the Anchorage Adult Day-care Centre in Pembroke Dock is already having to the health and mental wellbeing of my daughter and 20 other vulnerable adults with special needs and learning difficulties, who are unable to cope with changes to routine, or to process and understand what is happening to them?

“And would the council, therefore, please review its closure decision and retain the centre and the vital and invaluable service it provides not only to the individuals concerned but also to the parents?

“If not, what specific measures does the cabinet member have in place to support my daughter and these other individuals who need extra assistance to enable them to maintain their independence, value and allow their carers to have valuable respite from their caring responsibilities and what are the estimated costs for these substitute measures?”

A Pembrokeshire County Council spokesman has previously said: “Following the engagement sessions held with families and service users regarding the future of the centre on April 10 and 17 at the Anchorage, families said that they would like to maintain the Anchorage Day Centre and explained that they would write to the council in order to ask for the decision to be overturned.

“People who attend the service will be offered alternative care, all service users are currently having their individual care needs assessed by social work teams to fully understand which other services best meet those care needs.”

An online e-petition, on the council’s own website has been launched calling for it to stay open.

Health

Chairman opens new NHS 111 Wales Service Centre in Haverfordwest

Published

4 days ago

May 3, 2024

Tom Sinclair

IN a ceremonial occasion on Thursday (May 2), Thomas Baden Tudor, Chairman of Pembrokeshire County Council, inaugurated the new NHS 111 Wales service centre at Haverfordwest Ambulance Station. The event was marked by Mr. Tudor cutting the red ribbon, a task he was honoured to perform at the behest of Matthew Jones, Locality Manager of the Pembrokeshire Ambulance Service.

The NHS 111 service, which is accessible round the clock, offers urgent health advice and information about available services, including dental care and general medical guidance. This vital resource also provides support on managing illnesses and conditions and ensures continuity of care when GP offices are closed.

Speaking at the event, Mr. Tudor expressed his pride and privilege in participating in the launch, which underscores the community’s commitment to enhancing healthcare accessibility. The new service centre is expected to play a pivotal role in providing prompt medical advice and support to the residents of Pembrokeshire.

The service is free and can be reached by dialling 111 from any phone, ensuring essential healthcare advice is just a call away.

Health

Junior doctors secure strike extension in pay negotiations with WG

Published

5 days ago

May 2, 2024

Tom Sinclair

BMA Cymru Wales has confirmed a positive development in its pay negotiations announcing that Junior doctors have secured a three-month extension to their overwhelming strike mandate.

This means that junior doctors in Wales now have the right to enact industrial action over their pay until 17 September 2024 instead of 17 June when the mandate was due to run out.

Recognising the strength of feeling amongst junior doctors and the overwhelming 98% vote by members in favour of industrial action back in December 2023, employers have agreed to honour this extension to allow talks with the Welsh Government to continue.

Co-chairs of the Welsh Junior Doctor Committee Dr Oba Babs-Osibodu and Dr Peter Fahey said of this development:

“We are pleased to be able to secure an extension to our overwhelming strike mandate. Whilst we hope to put an end to our pay dispute through pay negotiations by reaching a credible deal and restoring our pay, it was important to secure more time for our mandate.

“The extension allows us to focus on talks but also provides us with the scope to get organised and enact our legal right to strike should we need to. This is about honouring the emphatic mandate of our members.

“Doctors have experienced real terms pay cut of almost a third since 2008. They voted overwhelmingly to put an end to the devaluing of their service, they know they are not worth a third less than their predecessors and they know the time is now to stick up for the profession and turn the tide of the continued erosion of their pay once and for all”.

The Welsh Government and NHS employers have agreed to the extension as part of ongoing pay negotiations where all parties hope to reach an end to the pay dispute with junior doctors, SAS doctors and Consultants in Wales.

Last month, BMA Cymru Wales announced it was suspending forthcoming industrial action for Consultants and SAS doctors and putting plans on hold to announce more strike dates for junior doctors to allow pay negotiations to take place*.

The decision to enter pay negotiations was based on a significant proposal from the Welsh Government to form the basis of talks to end the pay disputes with all secondary care doctors including Consultants, SAS, and Junior doctors, with the aim of reaching deals which can be taken separately to their respective members.

In August last year, the BMA’s committees representing secondary care doctors in Wales voted to enter separate trade disputes with the Welsh Government after being offered another below inflation pay uplift of just 5% for the 23/24 financial year. SAS doctors on some contracts were offered as little as 1.5%. This was the lowest pay offer any government in the UK offered and less than the DDRB, the pay review body for doctors and dentists, recommended last year.

As part of their disputes, SAS doctors, consultants and junior doctors carried out successful ballots for industrial action. Since then, junior doctors have taken part in 10 days of industrial action since January this year.