News

Ambulances at breaking point

Published

9 years ago

January 23, 2015

WHILE controversy continues about the tragic death of Wayne Young (see page x) on New Year’s Day, The Herald has spoken to several sources who have told the same story again and again: that the Ambulance Service has been pushed to the breaking point and beyond over recent weeks. One concerned member of staff told us that ambulances based in Pembrokeshire have been forced to cover incidents in Ceredigion and as far afi eld as Llandeilo, as Carmarthenshire-based ambulances have been overwhelmed by calls to Swansea and beyond.

AMBULANCES ‘FILL THE GAPS’

Five ambulances are rotated to cover Pembrokeshire. However, demands from outside the County and long waits at Glangwili for ‘emergency admissions’, mean Pembrokeshire has been left hopelessly exposed with fewer available than are required to be on duty. Pictures have appeared in the Welsh media of a dozen ambulances queued up outside Morriston, each with a patient waiting for admission to Accident & Emergency. A similar, but less dramatic situation has recently occurred at Glangwili, with a Pembrokeshire ambulance waiting for more than two hours to unload an ill patient. The Herald has also uncovered that in Christmas week only one third of the most urgent ‘Red’ cases were reached within the eight minutes target set by the Welsh Government. The problems with the Ambulance Service have called into question the viability of the Board’s ‘Designated Ambulance Vehicle’ (DAV). The Herald understands that although twelve vacancies were advertised to crew the DAV, there has been difficulty in acquiring long term staff for the service and that at least two replacement posts have recently gone out to advertisement.

LOCAL GP VOICES CONCERNS

Dr Dan Weaver, a GP at the Robert Street practice in Milford Haven, posted his family’s experience on the Save Withybush Hospital Team’s (SWAT) Facebook page: “One of my children has been really poorly recently. “At the weekend they had been really wheezy with a croupy upper respiratory tract infection, but abruptly got a lot worse and they went into a degree of respiratory distress, really struggling to breath to the point where they were vomiting with the effort and lips had bluish tinge. “We live approximately 12 minutes from Withybush and last year in a similar situation I would have run her to the car and driven to A&E in case she needed nebulising/oxygen support etc. This was not an option as it was after 10pm. “West Wales General is more like a 45-50 minute drive. “I am medically trained but would not have fancied risking her worsening further in a cold car while I drove to Carmarthen as I could still be potentially over half an hour from help – additionally I realised that I would need to fi ll up with petrol to get to Carmarthen as my tank was virtually empty. I gave her oral steroids and salbutamol, we tried to keep her calm and called an ambulance. “The ambulance took over 30 minutes to come because it had to come from Carmarthen. Apparently all the Pembrokeshire ambulances were in Carmarthenshire and stuck in Llanelli (this was according to the crew who attended who were fantastic). “She was already starting to improve a little when the ambulance crew arrived thankfully as the steroids were beginning to kick in. She’s still pretty poorly but breathing better than a couple of days ago. “I felt it important to share this as I think there are two key points about the current situation that I think are worth underlining: Firstly it does not seem that ambulance provision is anything like appropriate considering the increased demands on the ambulance service from reduced local jobs & gynae/paediatric services. Ambulances from the county seem routinely being used to cover other regions which leaves Pembrokeshire very exposed. “Secondly I think it may be worth anyone who looks after a child (or is pregnant or knows someone who is pregnant) in Pembrokeshire making sure they always have enough fuel to get to Carmarthen quickly in the event of an unforeseen emergency. This is not something which I had really clearly thought about before Saturday night; but I think is increasingly relevant and could make the difference between recovery and tragedy.”

CONCERNS FOR EXPECTANT MUMS

An expectant mum contacted The Herald this week and told us that mums to- be are being told to consider opting to give birth in Withybush to ease pressures on the DAV and ensure that maternity services remain in Pembrokeshire. She told us that she feels midwives have been trying to plant the seed for mums to stay in Pembrokeshire, despite accepting that birth at Withybush might be no safer than having a home birth attended by a midwife. She also said that midwives have been telling expectant mothers that staff shortages at Glangwili mean that aftercare is poorer than at Withybush and that there is pressure on staff to turnaround beds too quickly. Rebecca (name changed) said: “I made the to decision to go to Carmarthen early on in my pregnancy, but when I went to a recent appointment, I felt very confused afterwards after feeling pressured to agree that I would be better off going to Withybush due to the poor aftercare, even though if I needed an emergency caesarean or even an epidural, I wouldn’t be able to have one due to there being nobody qualifi ed to perform the procedure.” Rebecca also reported that she had been led to understand that if people do not use the midwife led unit, it will close all together and there will be nowhere at all to have a baby in Pembrokeshire. The Pembrokeshire Herald reported staff fears on that very point last summer, when the Board closed Withybush’s Special Care Baby Unit and ended consultant-led care at the hospital. Rebecca continued: “I’ve also been told to call the midwife when I go into labour so I can be checked to see when I should go to the hospital, but whenever I call them, whether it be at the doctors surgery or the midwife led unit, nobody has ever answered the phone to me when I call, and I have to leave a message to be picked up later. “The Midwife Led Unit never goes to answerphone and never stops ringing. “What worries me most is that problems can’t always be detected until they’re happening in labour. Expectant mothers in labour are expected to wait until contractions are fi ve to six minutes apart, despite having to travel for up to an hour or even more, with the risk of waters breaking in the car on the way.”

Community

Anzac Day commemoration service held in Milford Haven

Published

11 hours ago

April 28, 2024

Tom Sinclair

IN a service held on Sunday (Apr 28), the Milford Haven Branch of the Royal British Legion led a poignant commemoration service to mark Anzac Day, honouring the valor and sacrifices of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) during the Gallipoli campaign in World War I.

The service, which took place at 11:00am, on Hamilton Terrace, Milford Haven, witnessed a significant turnout.

Attendees included members of the Australian Signals and Signal Company as well as representatives of Milford Haven Town Council and the Milford Haven Sea Cadets.

The service commenced with a welcome and introduction by Lt Col Warren Coetzer, followed by a rendition of the National Anthems of Australia, New Zealand, and Wales, embodying a spirit of unity and remembrance. The anthems were a moving tribute to the camaraderie and international bonds formed in times of conflict.

***ANZAC service: Remembering soldiers who fought bravely (Pic: MHTC)***

During the service, the Ode of Remembrance was recited, a profound moment that prompted reflection on the courage and fellowship of the ANZAC forces.

The emblematic Rising Sun Cap Badge and the Union Flag were prominently displayed on the event programme, symbolising the service and sacrifice of those who served under them.

Local dignitaries laid wreaths, and a two-minute silence was observed, offering a chance for personal reflection on the cost of war and the price of peace.

**Sea Cadets and member of the public at the service (Pic: MH Sea Cadets)**

The commemoration concluded with a prayer for peace, leaving the attendees with a message of hope and a renewed commitment to the values for which the ANZAC soldiers bravely fought.

The service was not just a remembrance of past sacrifices but also a reminder of the enduring spirit of the ANZACs, which continues to inspire and guide future generations.

Community

Survey of Picton Castle reveals groundbreaking medieval architecture

Published

11 hours ago

April 28, 2024

Tom Sinclair

THE first ever detailed architectural survey of Picton Castle, Pembrokeshire, has revealed a medieval castle ahead of its time in terms of design and high status living. Much altered in the Georgian period, the castle was surveyed by the author, Neil Ludlow, with Phil Poucher of Heneb – Dyfed Archaeology (formerly Dyfed Archaeological Trust) and funded by the Castle Studies Trust: it reveals a sophisticated building fit for royalty.

However, the building was actually built between 1315-20 by a senior royal government official called Sir John Wogan, who held office in Pembrokeshire, Northern England and Ireland and possibly fought on a military campaign in Gascony.

While outwardly it retains much of its medieval flavour, the interiors were extensively made over during the eighteenth century so that it now presents itself first and foremost as a Georgian country seat. But beneath this veneer, much medieval work still survives – though a lot of it is tucked away behind stud-walls, in cupboards, or is otherwise obscured.

Picton’s unique layout makes it a castle of great importance and architecturally ground-breaking for when it was built in the early fourteenth century. Most castles have at least some close parallels, but Picton is effectively one of a kind. Close study shows that it resolves as a central first-floor hall, flanked by services and a chamber-block to form a very early example of the three-unit ‘H-plan’ house.

The gatehouse – unusual in buildings of this kind – led onto an equally unusual ‘grand stairway’ to the hall; a second ground-floor entry probably led to an external kitchen and bakehouse.

The castle’s spatial disposition, access and circulation are meticulously planned, while the domestic appointments show a remarkable level of sophistication for the period, including what appear to be vertical serving-hatches between the ground floor and the service rooms above. At second-floor level, the east towers and gatehouse form two integrated suites of residential apartments either side of a chapel, in a manner firmly rooted within royal planning. The opposite pair of towers, at the west end, seem to have been united internally to form a residential chamber-block, for Wogan’s officials and guests, possibly served by latrines in the former west tower; the present partition walls are later.

Neil Ludlow told The Pembrokeshire Herald: “The enigmatic castle at Picton in Pembrokeshire is best-known for its magnificent Georgian interiors. But beneath this veneer is a medieval castle, from around 1315-20, with a unique layout. A towered hall-block with a pioneering ‘H-plan’, it reveals elements derived from royal planning, and sophisticated domestic arrangements including serving hatches between the floor levels. These innovations show it to have been a castle that was ahead of its time.”

Castle Studies Trust Chair of Trustees Jeremy Cunnington added: “The Castle Studies Trust is delighted to have funded the first ever detailed survey of Picton Castle and to have learned so much more about the medieval form of this unique building.”

Dr Rhiannon Talbot-English, Director at Picton Castle Trust told this newspaper: “Picton Castle has always been something of an enigmatic mystery: hidden gothic alcoves and arches, secret spiral staircases and untouched medieval Undercroft. Picton Castle Charitable Trust is extremely grateful to the Castle Studies Trust for its generous financial support which has enabled this research to be undertaken and we look forward to sharing this new knowledge with the public in a new exhibition about the early castle.”

Community

Solemn tributes at Freshwater West for WWII maritime tragedy

Published

11 hours ago

April 28, 2024

Tom Sinclair

IN an emotional gathering at Freshwater West, Pembrokeshire, the public and veterans convened on April 29, to honour the memory of the 85 souls lost in the tragic sinking of Landing Craft, Gun (LCG) 15 and LCG 16 during a brutal storm in April 1943.

The memorial service took place near the scenic, surf-popular beach, where the community assembled to reflect on the calamity that struck during a perilous wartime operation.

The service highlighted the sacrifices made by those aboard the LCGs, as well as six valiant crew members from the HMS Rosemary, who perished while attempting a daring rescue amidst the tempest.

Originally designed as Landing Craft, Tanks (LCTs), LCG 15 and LCG 16 were converted at Belfast’s Harland & Wolff shipyard to support amphibious operations by equipping them with heavy artillery.

Their redesign included the installation of two 4.7 inch guns intended for use during D-Day, suggesting that, had they survived, these crafts and their crews could have played a pivotal role in the Normandy Landings.

The crafts were en route to Falmouth when they encountered severe weather off the coast of Freshwater West.

Compounded by their flat-bottomed design, which was ill-suited for rough seas, both vessels tragically succumbed to the stormy conditions.

Denied shelter at Fishguard, they were compelled to continue towards Milford Haven, a decision that ultimately led to their sinking.

Today, the wrecks of LCG 15 and LCG 16 lie as protected war graves, and a poignant memorial stands overlooking the beach, a testament to the bravery and enduring legacy of the men lost to the sea.

Visitors to the memorial site at Freshwater West, which also hosts another commemorative marker at Thornton Cemetery in Milford Haven, can reflect upon the harrowing experiences faced by wartime naval personnel and the profound impact of their service.

The event served not only as a remembrance but also as an educational experience, particularly for younger generations unaware of the perils faced by their forebears during such tumultuous times.

The memorial at Freshwater West remains open to the public, offering a place for contemplation and respect, against the backdrop of one of Wales’ most beloved surfing beaches, where the echoes of history resonate with the sounds of the waves.