Announced a commitment: Shadow Health Minister Darren Millar

THE WELSH GOVERNMENT has criticised a manifesto pledge by the Welsh Conservatives to reopen minor injury units in Pembrokeshire, saying that there was insufficient demand for the services provided by these units, and that the plan would divert front-line staff away from A&E wards unnecessarily.

Last week Shadow Health Minister Darren Millar announced a commitment to ‘to maintain all existing emergency departments and to re-establish minor injury units (MIUs) in community hospitals which have seen theirs axed by the Labour government – in Newtown, Tenby and Colwyn Bay and in the Rhyl/Prestatyn area.’

Coincidentally, three of these MIUs are situated in Assembly constituencies currently held by the Conservatives.

Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire AM Angela Burns welcomed the pledge: “In the constituency over the last 15 years I have seen our NHS services being neglected and eroded and have fought hard to stop the dreadful closures and movement away from Withybush,” she said.

“This pledge would be absolutely fantastic for the whole future of the health service in Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire – investing in Withybush and taking the awful burden off Glangwili.

“Unfortunately the list of axed MIUs is long but I have been lobbying Darren for the Tenby MIU to be included in his commitments and I am delighted that he has accepted the case for a cast iron commitment to Tenby”

Mr Millar further claimed that Wales has ‘seen the largest reductions in healthcare spending of any of the UK nations,’ and announced plans to establish a £20 million ‘Community Hospital Development Fund.’ “Labour has been running the NHS in Wales since 1997, but they are running it into the ground,” Mr Millar claimed.

“In contrast to their legacy of cuts, closures and downgrades, we are making a commitment today to secure, re-open and widen access to NHS services in Wales.

“There would be no reorganisation of the health service under a Welsh Conservative Health Minister and key minor injury units so cruelly closed by Labour, would be re-established to relieve pressure on our emergency departments and provide more convenient access to patients.

“We have always championed the retention of frontline services and consistently opposed the downgrading that has forced patients and their families to travel further for treatment.”

“UNDERUTILISED” 

In response, Health Minister Mark Drakeford claimed that the plans would provide an under-used substandard service, and suggested that the Conservative party’s UK record when in charge of the NHS was questionable at best: “The Welsh Labour Government is investing in a modern Welsh NHS,” Professor Drakeford claimed.

“According to the Treasury’s own figures, Wales spends £172 more per person on health and social services combined than in England.

“The Tories are condemning communities across Wales to unsafe and substandard services which ignore best medical advice and the gold standards which NHS services throughout the UK are striving to meet. The Tories are telling people in Tenby, Rhyl, Newtown and Colwyn Bay that they are only worth second or third best with this plan.

“By seeking to reopen minor injury units which only saw a handful of patients every week, the Tories are not just wasting money but they are threatening the very viability of the emergency departments they claim to want to protect by diverting experienced A&E staff away from the busy frontline.

“We have seen what happens to the NHS when the Tories are in charge – a top-down reorganisation no one wanted; fragmentation; increasing privatisation as the health service is sold off piece by piece and spiralling deficits. The NHS is only safe with Labour.”

Tenby MIU closed in 2013 after a survey taken during August (Tenby’s busiest month) showed that a large majority of patients could be more appropriately treated by other healthcare providers. For example, of the 224 patients seen, 43% could have been treated by a GP or Care on Call, while 19% needed treatment at Withybush Hospital A&E department.

At the time, a Hywel Dda UHB spokesperson said: “By moving forward with the closure of the Minor Injury Unit at Tenby Hospital, which currently sees a low number of attendances throughout the year, the health board will be able to redeploy our experienced nurse practitioners to enhance the Accident and Emergency Department service at Withybush Hospital for the benefit of urgent patients from across Pembrokeshire.

“Following the summer service pilot, it is clear that the majority of people only attend the unit for very minor injuries or illnesses, which can be dealt with by self care or through primary healthcare such as their GP or a local pharmacy.”

A MODERN FACILITY

Labour Assembly candidate Marc Tierney claimed that the plans showed that the Conservatives were ‘out of touch’ with issues in the constituency: “Over the last year, I’ve spoken up and lobbied the Health Board about securing primary care services in Tenby. As a result, the Health Board will bring forward an update on plans to develop an integrated model of health care for Tenby and district at its Board meeting at the end of this month,” he added.

“As our population ages, we need fresh ideas for our NHS and the challenges ahead. The important thing for me is that the community is fully engaged in planning and I know that the South East Pembrokeshire Community Health Network meets often with health bosses to discuss the new model.

“We must not forget that Tenby Cottage Hospital is a modern facility, built after a hard-fought campaign by local people and supported by the then Labour AM, Christine Gwyther. Rather than just bringing back one service like the MIU, I want to see existing services strengthened and new services delivered to meet the needs of local patients now and in the future. That is what people in Tenby want to see happen and I’ll keep championing those views wherever they need to be heard.”

The aging population is especially relevant in light of a Welsh Government announcement to bring community-based eye services to the area – with Tenby and south Pembrokeshire Cottage Hospitals being considered as venues.

At present, patients in Pembrokeshire have to travel to Amman Valley hospital – a 54 mile journey from Pembroke Dock – to access treatment for wet AMD, an age-related eye condition which results in loss of vision.

Many patients, after being reviewed, also have to make further trips for treatment, while the Welsh Government-funded pilot will be able to provide a review and injection on the same visit. It is hoped that providing this service in Tenby will free up surgical capacity in Amman Valley and Bronglais Hospitals, reducing waiting times for patients requiring cataract surgery.

Kathryn Davies, the Executive Director of Commissioning/Therapies and Health Sciences for Hywel Dda UHB said: “This project will improve the quality of life for approximately 340 patients, often elderly and vulnerable, currently experiencing a significant travel burden by providing this care within a community setting, much closer to home. It will also release some capacity within our whole service, allowing us to treat more people who are waiting for care and improve patient outcomes.”

The new sites should be treating patients within the next three to four months.

“Improving our patient outcomes and experience for wet AMD is a significant priority for our health board and we are excited to be progressing this project which is in line with our strategic aim to provide more review, care and treatment as close to home as possible,” Ms Davies added.

“We have also maximised the potential to use innovation, such as training community optometrists. This is not only prudent and beneficial for the health service and its capacity to provide care to our population, but also evidence of a whole-systems approach which meets standards of care and provides a better patient experience.”