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Health

Extra funding to upgrade NHS Wales digital services and equipment

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THE NHS will benefit from £10m in additional capital funding to upgrade scanning equipment and digital infrastructure.

The funding package includes:

  • £5m for digital services to modernise elements of the IT infrastructure and support the provision of modernised and efficient patient care.
  • £1m to upgrade MRI scanners.
  • £1.3m for ultrasound scanning equipment.

The extra funding is being made available today as the Welsh Government publishes its second supplementary budget – an annual, end-of-year budget, which formalises changes made during 2023-24.

This year, the second supplementary budget includes changes the Finance Minister announced in October 2023 to provide additional support to the NHS and Transport for Wales.

The Welsh Government provided additional in-year support of £425m to the NHS and £125m to Transport for Wales to help meet increased cost pressures and, in the case of health boards, rising demand.

The second supplementary budget also details some of the additional funding made available to Wales as a result of decisions made by the UK Government to increase spending in devolved areas.

But notification of the additional consequential funding has come too late to be spent in this financial year. The additional revenue and capital funding will be put into the Wales Reserve for use in 2024-25 and 2025-26.

As the figures were published, Rebecca Evans, Minister for Finance and Local Government said:

“The UK Government confirmed the final sums last week, leaving us only one week to allocate additional funds.
“I’m pleased that we have been able to direct much-needed funding to maintain the fabric of our NHS.

“But at a time when public sector budgets have been squeezed so tightly, this is another example of why we need greater borrowing powers to be able to respond quickly to emerging needs.

“Unlike the UK Government, we cannot borrow to fund day-to-day spending so we are dependent on Barnett consequentials which often come late in the year and with little or no notice.

“As it is, we have been forced to plan based on best guesses about what we will receive from the UK Treasury – this is simply not acceptable.”

Eluned Morgan, Minister for Health and Social Services added:

“This additional capital funding, together with the in-year revenue funding is welcome.

“But the NHS is facing the toughest financial pressures in recent history due to inflation and increased demand in both planned and emergency care. Health boards have had to make some very difficult decisions despite the additional injection of funding over and above their allocated budgets.”

The supplementary budget is due to be debated on Tuesday 12 March, after the Welsh Government’s Final Budget 2024-25 on Tuesday 27 February

Health

Hoax calls reach three-year high, says Welsh Ambulance Service

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THE WELSH AMBULANCE SERVICE has seen a staggering 37% rise in hoax calls over the past three years, wasting valuable time and resources, a new investigation reveals.

Data from Medical Negligence Assist highlights that over 700 hours—equivalent to nearly 29 full days—of ambulance crew time has been lost responding to malicious calls since 2021.

During this period, WAS crews attended 463 face-to-face incidents later identified as deliberate hoaxes, severely straining emergency services already under pressure.

Rise in hoax calls over three years

  • 2021/22: 334 hoax calls; 84 face-to-face responses.
  • 2022/23: 373 hoax calls; 85 face-to-face responses.
  • 2023/24: 457 hoax calls; 163 face-to-face responses.

The upward trend continues, with provisional figures for 2024/25 (April 1 to October 31) already recording 345 hoax calls and 131 face-to-face responses.

Strain across Wales

The geographic impact is widespread, with hoax calls reported in all areas of Wales. WAS officials warn that such incidents divert resources from genuine emergencies, potentially putting lives at risk.

A call to action

The 701 hours spent on hoax calls between 2021 and 2024 represent a critical drain on ambulance availability. A WAS spokesperson said: “Every minute wasted on a hoax call is a minute lost to someone in real need. These actions have serious, life-threatening consequences.”

“The Welsh Ambulance Service is urging the public to recognize the harm caused by hoax calls and act responsibly.

“For information or to report suspicious activity, contact the Welsh Ambulance Service through their official channels.”

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Charity

Hog roast celebration to mark 60 years of caravan site raises funds for charity

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A PEMBROKESHIRE couple who held a hog roast celebration to mark their caravan site’s 60th anniversary, have donated funds raised on the night to the Wales Air Ambulance.

Anthony and Alys Daye, who own Brandy Brook Caravan and Camping site in Haycastle recently handed over a cheque for £684 to the lifesaving charity.

Alys, who has two sons and two daughters, as well as five grandchildren said: “We live in such a beautiful, secluded part of North Pembrokeshire and appreciate the importance of the air ambulance.

“Thousands of visitors head to our region each year and we are part of a big farming community too. We produce fattened lamb as well as running the camp site.

“Living where we do it is always reassuring to know that the service is there if someone is facing a critical health situation.”

The Wales Air Ambulance is consultant-led, taking hospital-standard treatments to the patient and if required, transferring them directly to the most appropriate hospital for their illness or injury. 

It is delivered via a unique Third Sector and Public Sector partnership. The Emergency Medical Retrieval and Transfer Service (EMRTS) supplies highly skilled NHS consultants and critical care practitioners who work on board the charity’s vehicles.

62-year-old Alys said: “We wanted to do something special to mark the 60th anniversary of the caravan site.

“It’s been in the family all that time. My parents opened it, then we supported them as  they got older and we took over when they both passed away.”

She continued: “We are totally off grid, with the ethos and fundamental things not changing much since 1962. It’s very back to basics, which is the market we are looking for, for those who want to get away from it all.

“We are at the bottom of a wooded valley, with a brook running through it with trout. Otters have been spotted there too and there is plenty of wildlife in the surrounding woodland.”

Alys says there have been “a number of different incidents nearby”, where “holidaymakers have needed the air ambulance”. 

She said: “The service is essential, and that’s why we decided to hold a pig roast, inviting family, friends, and our loyal customers. 

“We thought instead of charging people to come along, it would be nice to ask for donations for the air ambulance.

“There was one chap who was so generous, he brought along a mini-motorbike and then decided to auction it off to help raise funds, which was so kind of him.”

The Wales Air Ambulance needs to raise £11.2 million every year to keep its helicopters in the air and its rapid response vehicles on the road and attends around 4,000 patients each year.

Alys said: “We support the charity throughout the year by keeping a collection box on the counter in the shop and we ask people to donate.

“But we would really like to do another event in aid of the air ambulance next year.”

Mike May, Regional Fundraising Manager for Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire said: “We are hugely grateful to Alys and Anthony Daye for thinking of us on the 60th anniversary of their family-run business!

“It’s an honour that our charity was the sole beneficiary of their fundraiser to celebrate their caravan site. I am sure it has brought much joy to thousands of people over the decades.

“We travel the length and breadth of Wales each year helping thousands of people wherever and whenever they need us. Without the kindness of our supporters, like the Dayes we really would not be able to continue to do what we do.”

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Health

Protect yourself with a flu and/or COVID-19 vaccine as drop-in sessions start

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WITH flu circulating in the community, Hywel Dda University Health Board (UHB) is encouraging everyone who is eligible to drop-in for their flu and COVID-19 vaccines to help protect themselves this winter.

Flu and COVID-19 viruses can cause serious illness, especially in younger children, clinically vulnerable individuals and older adults that sometimes require hospitalisation.

Vaccination centres will be open, no appointment needed on the 23rd, 24th and 27th December for all people eligible for flu and COVID-19 vaccination. This includes children aged 2 (on 31 August 2024) to those in year 11 who can access the nasal flu vaccine at the centres.

Drop in any time between 09.15am and 5.30 pm to your nearest vaccination centre:

  • Aberaeron (Aberaeron Integrated Care Centre, Vicarage Hill, Aberaeron SA46 0DY)
  • Llanelli (Unit 2a, Dafen Industrial Estate, Heol Cropin, SA14 8QW)
  • Neyland (Unit 1 Honeyborough Retail Park, SA73 1SE)

The following groups are eligible for vaccination:

Flu vaccination

  • Children aged two and three years on 31 August 2024 
  • Children in primary school from reception class to year 6 (inclusive)  
  • Children in secondary school from year 7 to year 11 (inclusive)   
  • People aged six months to 64 years in clinical risk groups   
  • People aged 65 years and older (age on 31 March 2024)   
  • Pregnant women  
  • Carers aged 16 and over 
  • People aged 6 months to 65 years who live with someone who has a weakened immune system   
  • People with a learning disability  
  • Frontline health and social care workers  
  • All staff working in care homes with regular client contact
  • Poultry workers at high risk

COVID-19 vaccination

  • People aged 6 months to 64 years with a long-term health condition (which includes pregnant women and people with a weakened immune system)
  • Residents in a care home for older adults
  • People aged 65 years and older (age on 31 March 2025)
  • Unpaid carers
  • Frontline health and social care workers
  • Staff working in care homes for older adults

If you have any questions about accessing the flu and/or COVID-19 vaccine, please phone the health board on 0300 303 8322 option 1 or email [email protected].

If you are unsure if you are eligible for the flu and/or COVID-19 vaccine, contact the health board on the details above.

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