Health

MS calls for overdose prevention centres in Wales

Published

9 months ago

March 23, 2024

A SENEDD member called for Wales to establish overdose prevention centres to save lives, reduce harm and protect communities.

Peredur Owen Griffiths warned that the number of drug deaths in Wales is up more than 50% over the past ten years, with the rate remaining higher than in England.

Mr Owen Griffiths, who chairs the cross-party group on substance use and addiction, said maintaining the status quo would do nothing to tackle shameful drug deaths in Wales.

He told MSs: “By almost any measure you want to look at, the war on drugs has failed.”

He said overdose prevention centres (OPCs) – hygienic safe spaces, where people can take drugs safely – have been adopted by 14 countries, including the US, Canada and Australia.

The Plaid Cymru MS argued OPCs, which have sterile equipment and staff who can respond immediately to an overdose, have proved a remarkable success internationally.

He told the Senedd: “They can also provide a gateway to a myriad of services that could lead to the drug users kicking the habit or, at the very least, becoming healthier, better supported and, therefore, more likely to stay alive.”

He added OPCs help reduce litter that poses a significant health hazard, warning of open injection of heroin and discarded needles a stone’s throw from one Cardiff primary school.

Mr Owen Griffiths raised a rapid evidence review into overdose prevention centres which found that they reduce harm, save lives and promote wellbeing.

He said OPCs reduce the risk of transmission of blood-borne diseases and help marginalised members of society to access services.

He warned the UK Government has been too slow to react to the spread of more dangerous synthetic drugs, stressing: “We can’t delay. Because if we do, more people will die.”

Mr Owen Griffiths told the chamber MSs heard from Pat Hudson, whose son Kevin was found unconscious in a locked public toilet in Carmarthen in December 2017.

He said: “After injecting drugs, he suffered a cardiac arrest and a brain haemorrhage. His family made the heartbreaking decision to switch his life support machine off.

“He was just 32-years-old. Pat herself said her son and several of his friends would be alive today if there had been somewhere safe to go for them to inject drugs.

“It is time we listen to people like Pat, take heed of the international success stories and learn the lessons of 50 years of failed drug policy in the UK.”

Lynne Neagle said Wales’ drug policy is rooted in a harm-reduction approach which recognises substance misuse is a public health issue as well as a criminal justice one.

Responding to the short debate on March 20, the then-deputy minister for mental health told MSs that Welsh Government investment in the substance misuse agenda will top £67m next year.

Ms Neagle, who has since been appointed education secretary, pointed out that Welsh ministers increased funding for frontline services by nearly £3m despite the most challenging budget ever.

She said Wales has introduced access to Buvidal, a medicine used to treat dependence on opioids, which is helping more than 1,700 people.

Ms Neagle stressed that powers to take forward overdose prevention centres remain at Westminster and the Home Office has poured cold water on the idea.

Ms Neagle said her officials are in close contact with counterparts in the Scottish Government, which is aiming to open the UK’s first overdose prevention centre.

She told MSs proposals from drugs charity Kaleidoscope for a safe injecting pilot at the Huggard centre in Cardiff would require an agreement with South Wales Police.

Ms Neagle explained this would ensure the project would not be a policing priority and prosecution of workers or users would not be in the public interest.

She said: “Without that agreement, our understanding is that due to legal implications under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, it would not be permissible.

“Given the interest and scrutiny that the establishment of such a project would also attract, it would need to be robustly established, with the support of a wide range of stakeholders, including the local community.”

Health

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

Published

20 hours ago

December 18, 2024

Tom Sinclair

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.”

Charity

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

Published

2 days ago

December 17, 2024

Richard Lewis

A PEMBROKESHIRE couple who held a hog roast celebration to mark their caravan site’s 60^th 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 60^th 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 60^th 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.”

Health

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

Published

3 days ago

December 16, 2024

Tom Sinclair

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 23^rd, 24^th and 27^th 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].