News

Children’s unit at Withybush set to have reduced hours

Published

8 years ago

November 18, 2016

withybush (2) MEMBERS of Hywel Dda University Health Board will discuss temporary changes to the opening hours of the Paediatric Ambulatory Care Unit at Withybush Hospital whilst there are fewer consultant paediatricians available, at a full health board meeting on Thursday (Nov 24).

The issue has emerged due to a combination of long standing difficulties in recruiting paediatric consultants across the UK and an exacerbation locally due to the coinciding retirement of one Pembrokeshire paediatric consultant, along with maternity leave of another.

The Health Board said: “Doctors, nurses, hospital managers and the Executive Team have been in discussion about how to best serve children and families in Pembrokeshire by doing all that is possible to maintain the Paediatric Ambulatory Care Unit (PACU) at Withybush Hospital whilst there are fewer consultant paediatricians available. To do nothing is a risk. The health board’s prolonged attempts at substantive and locum recruitment have been unsuccessful and agency consultants are only sometimes available which creates the risk of an unsafe, unreliable and fragile service.

“The recommendation to full health board is to get agreement in principle to progress towards continuation of a 12 hour, seven day PACU at Withybush Hospital, with remote paediatric consultant support. However, the consultant recruitment difficulties mean we must consider how we can do this temporarily in a safe way until we have developed this method of working for our locality. One option for providing paediatric consultant cover, whilst minimising the number of families affected, is to reduce opening hours for PACU by four hours a day. This means PACU would be open from 10am until 6pm.

“There is also a recommendation, in line with original service change plans and advice from the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, to merge the overnight on-call rota with the one operating in Carmarthenshire. This would mean that if there was a paediatric emergency out-of-hours at Withybush Hospital, the on-call paediatric consultants would offer remote advice.”

Chief Executive Steve Moore said: “We share the desire of our Pembrokeshire community to retain community and hospital services for sick children as close to home as possible and within the county whenever we can. We are committed to keeping the Paediatric Ambulatory Care Unit at Withybush Hospital open seven days a week and we think there is an option to allow us to safely do this, even with the renewed and significant workforce challenges.

“However, to do this safely, the recommendation from our staff is to temporarily reduce the opening hours of Withybush PACU by four hours a day.

“It is our duty to be realistic about the availability of our consultants and to plan care around this so that it is safe, consistent and to avoid public confusion. Otherwise, we risk the event of having insufficient staff and having to close the unit in an unplanned and uncoordinated way, risking patient safety and public confidence.

“Our recruitment efforts continue and we are pleased to have successfully appointed one agency consultant until the end of the month. We will review hours when the staffing situation improves and we want to work with our staff, partners and community to look at how we can strengthen services in Pembrokeshire, and across our whole area, in the long term.”

PACU is due to move closer to the Emergency Department at the end of the year and there are plans to strengthen links between the two departments, including development of Advanced Paediatric Nurse Practitioners. The health board also wants to improve telehealth links with the acute paediatric team based at Glangwili Hospital and provide more protected clinic time and community service capacity.

Clinical lead for Child and Adolecent Health Dr Simon Fountain-Polley said: “Families generally look after their own children for the majority of acute illnesses. If they need advice they can still access NHS Direct, community pharmacists, or their local GP. Most children, thankfully, don’t need to see the hospital paediatric team for acute illnesses. For that relatively small proportion of children who do, their GP can refer them into hospital services.

“Up until 6pm, Withybush Hospital PACU will still be open. After 6pm, the Withybush Hospital emergency department team will seek advice from Glangwili Hospital paediatric team, and if a child needs admitting they will be referred to the children’s ward at Glangwili Hospital, as is the case currently after 10pm.”

The health board will make a decision on Thursday and whatever the outcome will keep the situation under close monitoring.

In the meantime, the health board continues to reduce the impact on families as much as possible. This includes provision of the dedicated ambulance vehicle for transfers between Withybush and Glangwili hospitals, provision of funded transport schemes such as that provided by Action for Children, help under the NHS Travel Costs scheme and, in exceptional circumstances where no alternatives are available, vulnerable families will be provided with a paid for taxi to return home.

Paediatric consultant vacancies continue to be advertised with one applicant scheduled to be interviewed in January and the health board is speaking to potential recruits to demonstrate the benefits of working in Withybush Hospital and the wider paediatric team.

To support the intention to provide longer term continuation of the 12 hour PACU service at Withybush Hospital, with consultant support provided remotely by the acute paediatric team based at Glangwili Hospital, the health board plans to hold a patient, staff, public and stakeholder engagement process to co-design the future service for children in the area.

Pembrokeshire Assembly Members Paul Davies and Angela Burns have expressed their anger and frustration at the news.

Preseli Pembrokeshire Assembly Member Paul Davies said: “I’m extremely angry that the local Health Board are making plans to reduce the number of hours that the paediatric ambulatory care unit will be open at Withybush Hospital. Only a few weeks ago the Cabinet Secretary for Health made it clear in the Assembly Chamber that local families are being assured that they can continue to access services as they do now and do not need to make changes in how they access care.

“Well clearly the Welsh Government needs a much more robust dialogue with the Hywel Dda health board because that’s not the message that’s being heard in Pembrokeshire. Any further changes to this service would be catastrophic and the Welsh Government should urgently intervene to address this matter once and for all.”

He added: “Local people in Pembrokeshire will know that I’ve been campaigning to see our paediatric services re-established on a full-time basis and I’m extremely disappointed that some politicians are playing party politics with this very important issue, rather than standing up for families across Pembrokeshire.”

Assembly Member for Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire Angela Burns said: “This is a deeply concerning turn of events and goes against recent promises by the Welsh Government.”

“We’ve all fought long and hard to keep a broad level of services at Withybush and for services to be reinstated, this kind of situation dents public confidence and sends out the wrong message to potential and current staff.”

“I will be monitoring the service delivery to ensure this “temporary situation” really is just that.”

The Health Board have also released an FAQ which covers what they believe will be the most common questions from the public. These questions can be found below.

What would this mean for Pembrokeshire families?

If Hywel Dda University Heath Board accepts the recommendations, it would mean in the short term, that the Paediatric Ambulatory Care Unit (PACU) at Withybush Hospital would be open daily, but would close at 6pm instead of the current 10pm.

What is PACU?

Withybush Hospital’s Emergency and Urgent Care Centres (EUCC) and PACU provide the vast majority of hospital care required for children in Pembrokeshire. About 75% of those children who are referred into Withybush Hospital PACU, are treated there and do not need to be transferred to another hospital. It provides care for children with sudden onset of pain, high temperatures, sickness, infections, or requirements for dressings, blood tests, x-rays or scans.

What about children who need to stay in hospital overnight?

Currently any Pembrokeshire children who need an overnight, inpatient stay in hospital, are transferred to Glangwili Hospital, in Carmarthen. This will remain the case under the recommendations. There is a dedicated ambulance vehicle for women and children’s transfers between Withybush and Glangwili and a parent or carer can remain with their child on transfer and on the wards.

What about sick children who need assessment after 6pm?

At the moment, children who require paediatric assessment after 10pm are referred or transferred by ambulance to the PACU at Glangwili Hospital. If recommendations are accepted, this will happen from the earlier time of 6pm.

What about hospital appointments for children?

Scheduled care including procedures, tests and outpatient clinics will continue at Withybush Hospital during the daytime. In addition, the PACU service described above will also be available 10am-6pm.

What do you do if your child is unexpectedly sick at night?

Parents should continue to access care for their children as they do now.

If your child is unwell, you can do a number of things:

Call NHS Direct Wales – 0845 46 47 – they can advise you if you are unsure what to do, as well as provide health information on a wide range of conditions, treatment and local health services
Use your community pharmacy if open
Make an appointment with your GP as usual, including out-of- hours GP services, which are contacted through your normal GP telephone number
For a paediatric minor injury, go to Withybush Emergency and Urgent Care Centre (EUCC) 24 hours a day
In an emergency, if your child is very sick, you should dial 999 for assistance. Children who present at Withybush Hospital out-of-hours will usually be transferred to Glanwgili Hospital for paediatric input. In the exceptional circumstance where emergency resuscitation is required, emergency and anaesthetic staff will resuscitate, stabilise, and arrange transfer onto another hospital.

What about families with open access?
The advice already in place after 10pm, will come into action from the earlier time of 6pm temporarily. Families will retain open access to both WGH and GGH PACU as they do now.

Community

Restoration of a pond hopes to support biodiversity in Pembrokeshire

Published

6 hours ago

December 20, 2024

Tom Sinclair

AN OLD millpond at the heart of the Wallis and Ambleston community, and a site of Special Scientific Interest, has now been improved to benefit water quality and increase biodiversity in an area of South Wales, thanks to funding from Nestlé Waters UK.

Wallis Pond was created in 1836 as part of the tributary of the Wester Cleddau River to supply water to a local mill. Back in 1978, it was restored and later re-opened by HRH King Charles III, the then Prince of Wales.

Over the years, the pond had become completely silted up, restricting the waters passage and the pond’s ability to retain water, resulting in a reduced diversity of habitat in and around the millpond.

Pembrokeshire County Council, Heavyside Landscapes and Nestlé Waters UK have come together to restore the millpond with regulatory guidance from Natural Resources Wales and support from the Ambleston Community Council.

The project saw the pond re-dug and de-silted, and the old sluice gate replaced to re-establish the millpond. With the pond now able to hold more water, it is hoped to help build resilience to the increased frequency and intensity of storm events, alleviating the risk of flooding in the local area.

Retention of flows in the pond for a longer time should help reduce silt build-up and prevent nutrients such as phosphates and nitrates from travelling downstream in the Cleddau catchment, helping to protect water quality, improve aquatic habitats, and encourage eels, otters, damselflies, and other wildlife species.

Restoration of Wallis Pond is one of the projects that Nestlé Waters is working on as part of its efforts to help regenerate local water cycles and create a positive water impact everywhere the company operates.

Matthew Faulkner, Factory Manager at the Nestlé Waters site in Princes Gate, said: “We are proud to be a part of the Wallis Pond restoration work, aimed at delivering long-lasting benefits in Pembrokeshire, where we bottle at source Princes Gate and Nestlé Pure Life waters. This beautiful landscape is not only our home, but also home to some incredible flora and fauna which are vital for keeping the area rich and thriving in biodiversity.

“We’re working hard to protect this land and the water beneath our feet. Water is a shared resource and a shared responsibility, and caring for it takes the whole community. That’s why we’re grateful to be working with partners on this project that will hopefully have a positive impact on the local ecosystem and community.”

Cllr Rhys Sinnett, Cabinet Member for Residents’ Services at the Pembrokeshire County Council, said: “We welcome this funding to enhance the biodiversity in Wallis Pond which can be enjoyed by the residents of Ambleston, the wider communities in Pembrokeshire and the visitors to our fantastic county.

“This is an excellent example of partnership working that has significant benefits for the environment and the wellbeing of generations to come.”

Eirian Forrest, Clerk at the Ambleston Community Council, said: “We are grateful to Nestlé Waters UK for the funding and wish to thank everyone who has been involved in this project, especially the Pembrokeshire County Council team, for pushing the project forwards.

“The Community Council are delighted that the work has finally been done and look forward to the positive impact it will have on biodiversity. We have already received many positive comments from members of the community. The improved pond encourages locals to take a walk around the area, as well as sit down to watch and enjoy the wildlife.”

Community

£1.7m to support families and individuals facing food poverty

Published

6 hours ago

December 20, 2024

Tom Sinclair

FAMILIES and individuals across Wales struggling with the cost of food will receive vital support this winter through £1.7m of additional funding from the Welsh Government. This funding will provide help to those most in need and back community projects working to prevent and tackle food poverty in the longer term.

The funding will:

provide emergency food aid by helping local groups to store and distribute food to people who need it most, while also addressing the underlying causes of food poverty;
support FareShare Cymru by purchasing equipment to store and deliver fresh food during the winter months and running food education activities to help low-income families and individuals manage rising costs; and
strengthen food partnerships in every local authority area in Wales, helping them to address local needs and ensure resources reach those facing the greatest challenges.
The Wales-wide funding will be announced today at Cegin Hedyn community kitchen in Carmarthen. Cegin Hedyn, a Pay What You Can Canteen and Community Kitchen, is part of a network of organisations tackling food poverty, and works with Carmarthenshire Food Partnership, Bwyd Sir Gâr Food.

Bwyd Sir Gâr works closely with groups and initiatives across the region to provide targeted support to those who need it most.

Cegin Hedyn ensures that everyone can have access to fresh, organic, seasonal produce, with produce being grown steps away in their Community Allotment. Bwyd Sir Gâr Food has also been providing vegetables, grown at Bremenda Isaf farm in Llanarthne, to Cegin Hedyn and has been offering mentoring and support to the volunteers at the allotment.

Cegin Hedyn is run by chef Deri Reed. He said: “This funding is a lifeline for communities like ours, ensuring that we can continue to provide fresh, nutritious meals to those who need them most while building a more sustainable and inclusive food system. At Cegin Hedyn, we believe in the power of food to bring people together and create positive change.

“This support will help us expand our reach, grow more organic produce locally, and strengthen the food partnerships that make a real difference in tackling food poverty in Carmarthenshire and beyond.”

Food Sense Wales works closely with Bwyd Sir Gâr and Food Partnerships across Wales to help create sustainable solutions to enable everyone to enjoy healthy and sustainable food.

Katie Palmer from Food Sense Wales said: “By strengthening its support for food partnerships across Wales, the Welsh Government is recognising the importance of building resilience in local food systems – both in terms of diversifying local supply chains, and by building and organising assets and civil society in a way that is unique to the needs of the local community.”

The Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Jane Hutt, said: “No one should have to worry about how they’re going to put food on the table. As a government, we are committed to tackling food poverty and ensuring support reaches those who need it most.

“This new £1.7m package of funding will provide both local relief to those struggling with food costs and lay the groundwork for longer-term solutions to prevent food poverty. By supporting emergency aid, food education, and local partnerships, we are addressing this crisis from all angles.

“Local food partnerships are vital in this effort. They work with inspiring projects, like Cegin Hedyn, which not only provides meals for people, but also brings people together and supports the wider community. Their efforts show what can be achieved when local groups and wider networks come together to support those most in need.”

The additional funding builds on the £2.8m the Welsh Government has already allocated to help address food poverty this year, and brings the total to more than £24m invested in this area since 2019.

Community

Safe, warm, and connected: community hubs helping communities this winter

Published

6 hours ago

December 20, 2024

Tom Sinclair

SAFE, warm, and connected: community hubs helping communities this winter
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Safe and warm hubs are providing vital support this winter, offering welcoming spaces for people to stay warm, connect with others, and access advice and services during difficult times.

In the aftermath of Storm Darragh, which left many households without power, these community hubs have become a lifeline. Developed locally to meet local needs, Warm Hubs also offer practical support, including advice on debt and welfare entitlements; opportunities to try new activities and form friendships; and information about financial and community services.

This week, the Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Jane Hutt, visited the safe and warm hub in Llanddewi Velfrey in Pembrokeshire to meet volunteers and to thank them for their dedication.

Lynda Hill, representing Llanddewi Velfrey Village Hall Committee, has volunteered at the hub since 2002 helping to manage the hall and organise events.

She said “We are particularly grateful for the help from the Warm Rooms initiative as it helps us to help those in our community who are in most need. Many homes in this area lost their electricity and water for quite a long time during and after Storm Darragh. Fortunately, this didn’t affect the hall so we opened to provide access to a warm space where anyone could use cooking facilities, toilets, charge their phones, and connect with others when they may have otherwise been isolated.

“Listening to stories of other halls and community initiatives whose representatives attended the meeting, it was inspiring to hear the huge range of support that is available across Pembrokeshire. We all want people to know we’re here throughout the winter, and that the Warm Rooms hubs provide a warm and friendly welcome for people of all ages and background.”

Across Wales, safe and warm hubs also offer practical support, including advice on debt and welfare entitlements; opportunities to try new activities and form friendships; and information about financial and community services.

In October, the Welsh Government announced £1.5m in funding to ensure hubs can continue their crucial work this winter.

The Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Jane Hutt, said: “Hubs, like the one in Llanddewi Velfrey, are a great example of communities coming together to support one another during tough times. Volunteers are at the heart of these spaces, creating a warm and inclusive welcome for people in need.

“We know the winter months can be difficult for many, which is why we’re doing all we can to alleviate financial pressures and maximise incomes. Our investment in safe and warm hubs forms part of a wider package of support to help people through the cost-of-living challenges.”

Pembrokeshire Association of Voluntary services has been instrumental in channelling the funding for warm spaces and hosts a regular forum for those involved with community buildings, which is invaluable for sharing ideas and experience.

Other Welsh Government initiatives to help communities this winter, include:

the Welsh Benefits Charter to remove barriers to claiming benefits;
£30 million for the Warm Homes programme to improve energy efficiency in lower-income households;
an extra £700,000 for the Fuel Bank Foundation to help those who pre-pay for their fuel and are at risk of disconnection – building on the £5.6m provided since 2022; and
an additional £1.7m to support families and individuals facing food poverty, building on the £2.8m the already allocated this year, bringing the total to more than £24m invested in this area since 2019.
For advice on financial support, people can contact the Advicelink Cymru ‘Claim What’s Yours’ helpline on 0808 250 5700.