News

Shocking waiting times for ambulances and at A&E

Published

12 months ago

November 30, 2023

ONLY 56% of October’s most urgent “red calls” for ambulances in the Hywel Dda health board area failed to reach patients within the target time of eight minutes.

The startling figure, inevitably showing that patient safety at risk, emerged last week in the latest monthly performance data for the Welsh NHS.

Patients waiting for “red calls” include those with suspected strokes, cardiac arrest, or assessed with immediately life-threatening injuries or illness.

Almost two-thirds of amber call patients waited more than an hour for ambulances to attend.

Only 15% of patients on amber calls were attended to within half an hour.

Amber calls include serious but not immediately life-threatening conditions. These calls will include most medical and trauma cases, such as chest pain and fractures.

The target for ambulance performance has never been met since its introduction, and the Hywel Dda LHB area is consistently among the worst for emergency call responses.

PATIENTS CONTINUE TO WAIT

More than 2,850 patient pathways remain open in the Hywel Dda area after two years. While open pathways are not the same as the number of patients waiting, the number of patients waiting shows little sign of falling in time for the Board to meet the Welsh Government’s target of eliminating all waits for treatment exceeding two years by next Spring.

Furthermore, although the number of patients waiting more than two years for a follow-up appointment has slightly fallen in the Hywel Dda area, underlying data show an increase in the number of patients waiting between one and two years for a follow-up appointment.

A&E DEPARTMENTS STRUGGLE

Just over 3,500 patients attended Withybush A&E in the period the statistics cover.
The target performance time is for 95% of all patients attending A&E to be seen within four hours.

At Withybush, 54% received treatment in the target time.

Performance was not much better at Glangwili, where around 57.5% were dealt with on target. Over 15% of patients attending Withybush A&E were still in the department waiting for treatment after more than 12 hours. Again, Glangwili’s performance was only a little better.

THE NATIONAL PICTURE

Nationally, there were 761,111 patient pathways, with 594,000 individual patients waiting for treatment, the highest on record.

For diagnostic services, patient pathways waiting increased to around 120,400 in September, the highest on record.

Two-year waits remain at 26,439 despite the Welsh Labour Government’s commitment to eliminate these waits in March of this year.

Hitting the target to eliminate them by next Spring will take a revolution in patient care or creative manipulation of the figures. Without those, there is no hope of eliminating two-year waits.

The actual picture is far worse than those dismal figures suggest. To try and ensure it reached the target it failed to hit in March, the Welsh Government rigged the figures to exclude waiting times for major clinical specialisms like orthopaedics.

“SHAMEFUL AND UNACCEPTABLE”

Welsh Conservative Shadow Health Minister Russell George MS said: “Waits for treatment and diagnostic services are the worst on record. Cancer waits are the second worst on record. These shameful statistics from our Labour-run Welsh NHS are completely unacceptable. These are real people languishing on these lists, often in pain. Wales deserves better.”
A Welsh Government spokesperson responded: “The pressure on our NHS services has continued to grow as we enter the toughest time of the year. “Although waiting lists have grown overall, it is encouraging that the longest waits continue to fall. Most people waiting on an individual waiting list (patient pathway) are waiting less than 26 weeks.
“We are pleased that patients waiting longer than one year for their first outpatient appointment also decreased. This was despite more than 4,000 referrals for first outpatient appointments made per day on average in September.
“The number of people being informed they do not have cancer also increased, but it is concerning that so many are missing the target date for treatment. The Welsh Government is exerting significant pressure on health boards to improve performance.
“It is also positive that the number of people calling the NHS 111 Wales service continues to rise. In October, the highest number of callers on record had their calls answered within 60 seconds. This helps patients’ experiences and supports people in accessing the right treatment at the right time and place.
“Although the increase in the total waiting list this month is very small, it is disappointing to see them at their highest levels on record – that is due to the continued number of people joining the waiting lists, with the highest annual number of new referrals on record in the latest 12 months.
“Health boards are working hard to tackle the longest waits, but the most urgent cases must always be seen first.”

Community

Officials announced for 2026 Eisteddfod in Pembrokeshire

Published

7 hours ago

November 14, 2024

Tom Sinclair

THE NATIONAL EISTEDDFOD returns to Pembrokeshire in 2026, and organisers have named the officials who will steer this major cultural event over the next year and a half.

With the artistic and local committees already established, meetings to finalise competitions and adjudicators are underway to ensure the List of Competitions is ready by spring. Committee members have also been voting over the past weeks to elect key officials for the Executive Committee.

John Davies, former leader of Pembrokeshire County Council, has been appointed Chair of the Executive Committee. Known for his deep connection to Pembrokeshire and extensive experience with national organisations, Davies aims to make the Eisteddfod a true community event, welcoming involvement from all corners of the region.

Tegryn Jones, Chief Executive of Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, takes on the role of Deputy Chair (Strategy). With a strong passion for Welsh culture and language, Jones brings a wealth of experience working with local communities, visitors, and volunteers across three counties.

Deputy Chair (Culture) is Carys Ifan, Director of Canolfan Egin and a seasoned cultural organiser. Based in Llangrannog and originally from Llandudoch, Ifan has led numerous artistic and community projects across the region.

Cris Tomos, a community development veteran with over 30 years of experience, will lead the 2026 Eisteddfod Local Fund. Working with PLANED, a community development charity, Tomos has supported countless community enterprises and co-operatives in Pembrokeshire, Ceredigion, and Carmarthenshire.

Non Davies, recently elected as Executive Committee Secretary, brings extensive cultural management expertise as Ceredigion County Council’s Corporate Manager for Culture. Having chaired the Cardigan Local Fund Committee for the 2022 Ceredigion Eisteddfod, Davies is well-versed in managing cultural projects.

National Eisteddfod Chief Executive, Betsan Moses, said: “We’re looking forward to working with John and the team over the next few months as we prepare for the 2026 Eisteddfod.

“There’s almost a quarter of a century since the Eisteddfod was last held in Pembrokeshire, and we’re very much looking forward to returning to the area. 2026 is an important year for us as we celebrate 850 years since the first Eisteddfod was held in Cardigan Castle in 1176.

“We’re looking forward to working in a new way within a catchment area which includes parts of another two counties, which is, of course, a chance to work with local people in Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire again.”

Further announcements are expected in the coming weeks, including the sale of competition prizes and opportunities to donate the Crown and the Chair.

The National Eisteddfod will be held in Llantood from August 1–8, 2026.

News

Campaigners urge Welsh Government to adopt proportional representation for Local Elections

Published

7 hours ago

November 14, 2024

Tom Sinclair

CAMPAIGNERS are calling on the Welsh Government to introduce the Single Transferable Vote (STV) system for local elections, following moves by two councils to shift away from the First Past the Post (FPTP) system being blocked on technical grounds.

Yesterday (Nov 14), Ceredigion Council voted narrowly, with an 18 to 17 majority, in favor of adopting STV. This follows Gwynedd Council’s decision last month, where 65% of councillors backed the move. However, both councils have been prevented from implementing STV due to a requirement for a two-thirds majority under the Local Government and Elections (Wales) Act 2021.

In recent consultations, public support for STV has been overwhelming, with over 70% in Gwynedd and 67% in Ceredigion favoring the change. Only Powys Council rejected the proposal, despite 60.5% of its respondents supporting STV. Campaigners argue that the current system deprives voters of representation, citing that over 100,000 people were denied a vote in the 2022 elections due to uncontested seats.

The Electoral Reform Society Cymru (ERS Cymru) highlights the contrast with Scotland, where the introduction of STV for local elections in 2007 has significantly reduced uncontested seats. According to ERS Cymru, Scotland has had fewer uncontested seats in the last four elections combined than Gwynedd Council recorded alone in 2022.

Jess Blair, Director of ERS Cymru, said:

“Decisions made in council chambers affect everyone in those areas, so every vote should count. It’s absurd that councils choosing STV are blocked by a technicality, leaving them stuck with an outdated system that denies representation to thousands. The Welsh Government must act to avoid repeating the undemocratic outcomes of the last elections.”

Campaigners are now calling on the Welsh Government to introduce STV across all councils in Wales, ensuring representation that reflects the electorate’s wishes.

Business

Upgrades completed at Port of Milford Haven’s simulator suite

Published

8 hours ago

November 14, 2024

Tom Sinclair

UPGRADES have been completed to state-of-the-art equipment within the Port of Milford Haven’s navigation simulator suite at Milford Waterfront enabling marine professionals to receive bespoke specialist training. The virtual reality simulation system can safely replicate a range of scenarios that seafarers may experience in real world situations such as extreme weather conditions, emergency situations and escort tug work.

The upgrades provided by Netherlands-based company MARIN contain the latest hardware in terms of processing power and graphics, as well as upgrades to MARIN’s ‘Dolphin’ software, increasing the capability to create scenarios. These are complemented with new 4k visuals on 75” screens which increase the depth and field of vision, adding to the realism.

Recently, a training day was led by Training Pilot Captain Mark Johnson, assisted by ex-Pilot Andy Hillier, involving members of the Svitzer team as well as Pilots Matt Roberts and Ian Coombes. As part of the scenario, they were faced with a loss of engine power and steering along with worsening weather and sea conditions. The Pilots had to communicate with Svitzer in order to successfully instruct them on how to tow and direct a drifting tanker. While scenarios like these are uncommon within port operations, it is important to rehearse procedures that would be implemented if they are required and enhances participants’ skill sets.

Marine Pilot and Simulator Instructor, Captain Ewan McNicoll, said “This simulator suite has future proofed our training capabilities, both internally for Pilots and marine staff, but also externally for clients wishing to use the facility, be it for training purposes or research and development. We can create any type of scenario with any type of ship, ranging from practicing ship handling manoeuvres to emergency situations, it really is game changing! Working with our partners at MARIN has been a complete success and I am very proud of our new facility.”

For more information about training at the navigation simulation suite please contact the Port of Milford Haven at [email protected] or 01646 696100.