News

Withybush: Health chief speaks to The Herald

Published

10 years ago

February 11, 2014

FOLLOWING loud public protests about the Local Health Board’s plans for the future of Withybush Hospital, local media were invited to meet with Health Board Chair Trevor Purt for interviews in the Board’s offices at Merlin’s Court, Winch Lane, Haverfordwest.

The Herald put questions to the Health Board chief which our readers and correspondents raised with us about the decision to close the Special Care Baby Unit at Withybush and transfer services elsewhere and about the future of health care at the Haverfordwest site.

Polite but firm, Trevor Purt did not allow much of the exasperation he must undoubtedly feel spill over into his answers. When it did, he was clear and forthright. To be sure, he was eager to get his message across and – in terms – that message was that changes to service provision in Pembrokeshire have not been driven by a determination to cut costs but in order to ensure quality of care.

We asked him first about the announcement of the “safety net” made by Health Minister Mark Drakeford in the Senedd on January 21. Did the announcement of the “safety net” mean that the arrangements announced in September were incomplete?

“We had put a safety net in place. It was never going to be the case that we would shut the provision at Withybush down on one day and shift it over to Carmarthen the next. That would be impractical and illogical. There are twelve months while we examine the progress of the service change and that will be done by a panel drawn from the Community Health Council and other stakeholders.

“Not even our sternest critics suggest that the model we propose is wrong: the dispute is about the location of the unit at which we will deliver centralized services for complex births. As a board we have to look beyond parochial concerns and deliver the best possible outcomes for the whole of the population the Board serves.”

But why Glangwili?

“We chose Glangwili ahead of Withybush because it has better links to Morriston Hospital and the wider Health Board area. I have heard the suggestion that we have not discussed our plans with Abertawe Bro Morgannwg Health Board. We have considered developments at Morriston very carefully indeed and been in close communication with our counterparts there. People should not let rhetoric get in the way of the facts.

“Plans are not made in isolation, we have a range of considerations to take into account. If we had chosen Withybush, we would be facing the same protests in Carmarthen as we are in Haverfordwest. I understand people are angry and frustrated but I believe that is because there has been a lot of misunderstanding and misinformation.

“I want to make a couple of things very clear: the Royal College of Midwives has told us that in order for a junior doctor to get sufficient expertise in obstetrics they need to be exposed to a range of types of case. They have said that the range required means that a unit has to have 2,500 births annually. That is the position of the professional bodies as well. The Deanery and the GMC require doctors to be fully accredited and to maintain that accreditation. If we have insufficient accredited doctors, all complex births would be taken to Morriston and none would take place in the Health Board area.

“This is not about money. This is about delivering a safe and sustainable future for obstetric provision across the Health Board’s area. In many respects, we are suffering from a long term structural problem. It is a numbers game, but the number is not money: it is about attracting, training and retaining staff.

“Secondly, we announced our plans last January. The CHC did not raise any issue about switching to a midwifery led obstetric service. Its objection only related to SCBU. The idea that this is a sudden change or shock announcement is wrong. We made our plans clear last year.

“The experience in Powys, where there has been a midwife-led obstetric service since 2001, has been that that service has been effective and safe. We anticipate that the majority of expectant mums will be able to choose where to give birth and most births will take place where they are planned to take place. It will be mum’s choice in the overwhelming majority of cases.

“In addition, the Emergency Medical Response Service – which is being planned for the whole of Wales – will ensure very quick access to emergency care. When there is an emergency, patients will be stabilized locally, where possible, and then taken to the appropriate unit for specialist care, whether that is at Glangwili or Morriston.”

But what about the decision on paediatric care? Is the health board “salami-slicing” services as critics have claimed?

“No. I want to make it as clear as possible. Our plans for obstetrics were announced last year at the end of the consultation. This is not new and, again, our plans for paediatric care were not criticised by the Community Health Council. They did not form part of the referral to the Minister and were not considered by the expert panel on the future of the Special Care Baby Unit.”

What about A & E at Withybush? Part of the rationale in closing the Minor Injury Units at Tenby and Pembroke Dock was that this would preserve services at Withybush. Is A & E safe?

“I want to make this as clear as I can: I do not foresee that we will not continue to provide an emergency 24/7 service at Withybush.“That service configuration might be with middle grade staff or a GP service, but we will maintain a 24/7 A & E service at Withybush.”

Our interview ends. Our friends at Radio Pembrokeshire are waiting with a large microphone outside. We will be meeting again with Trevor Purt in March. Let us know what questions you want to put to him and we will do our best to work them into our meeting.

Farming

Animal health and welfare workshops help family farm shape future business

Published

12 hours ago

April 29, 2024

Tom Sinclair

AN eagerness to learn new skills and knowledge is helping mother and son Dianna and Iestyn Spary to continually improve their livestock farming enterprise and build a financially sustainable business fit for the future.

Technical expertise and good business sense are not qualities the Sparys lack since embarking on an impressive number of Farming Connect workshops, covering a range of animal health and welfare topics.

“It’s been an amazing opportunity, we have learned so much that we can apply within the day to day running of our farm and herd, and we can draw on that knowledge as we look at developing new enterprises and diversifications,’’ says Dianna.

She is the fifth generation of her family to farm at Goytre Farm at New Church West, Chepstow, Iestyn the sixth.

Together they farm 110 hectares, running a Hereford-cross beef suckler herd and also rearing beef cattle purchased as baby calves, including more recently British Blues, taking these through to slaughter.

Although they have been immersed in agriculture all their lives, they recognise that it is an industry that is constantly changing as new research and ideas are rolled out and applied.

This is where the Farming Connect workshops have been so incredibly valuable, says Dianna.

“You are never too old to learn, things are changing all the time. If we hadn’t got involved in attending the workshops, we would never have known about some of those new ways of doing things.’’

From learning how to maximise suckler cow productivity and protecting youngstock health to understanding diseases such as Johne’s and bovine TB, the animal health and welfare training workshops have been “enormously valuable’’, she adds.

The pair have tapped into Farming Connect accredited training courses covering areas such as calf management, health and housing, body condition scoring and safe use of veterinary medicines.

“You name it we have done it,’’ says Dianna.

They were announced the winners of the 2023 Farming Connect Animal Health and Welfare Award at the Lantra Cymru Awards in January.

The knowledge gained through Farming Connect workshops and training has helped inform changes in the business.

“We now monitor cattle weights more closely and have introduced different ways of feeding,’’ Dianna explains.

“We have also been revamping all the cattle sheds and have a couple of new ones that will be going up.

“We’ve also invested in calf jackets and if there are any drops in weights, we are more responsive with feed intakes, little things like that.’’

Iestyn has also benefited from a number of sheep-related topics offered through the animal health workshops.

Through the Farming Connect Advisory Service, they have received specialist veterinary advice on their Herd Health Plan with a focus on incoming stock and biosecurity. They have also had guidance on soil health through the soil clinic.

The Sparys largely use traditional farming methods at Goytre Farm where they have several hay meadows.

All feed is produced on-farm. “By doing everything in-house we know exactly what we are feeding and that’s important to us,’’ says Dianna.

That distinctiveness, which sets them apart from some of the more mainstream farming systems, has given them the confidence to consider establishing a diversification into meat box sales, what Dianna describes as a ‘farm to fork’ approach.

Working with a local butcher who has an abattoir licence, they hope to do everything on-site, from slaughter through to hanging the carcass for 28 days, and then selling cuts direct to the consumer.

“We have also spoken to a chef who is going to produce some recipe cards for us to include in the boxes along with a bit of history of where the meat has come from,’’ says Dianna.

Another future project could be converting stone barns in the farmyard to holiday accommodation.

To help focus their minds on their plans, the Sparys will get guidance at a Farming Connect diversification surgery; they have also signed up for a ‘planning a diversification’ training course and will attend a ‘Dos and Don’ts of Diversification’ event in the coming weeks.

For Iestyn, another form of diversification, into agricultural contracting, has provided a secondary income stream.

His customer base is largely farms with smaller acreages with crops that require harvesting or spraying.

Farming Connect has helped with this process too as Iestyn has gained his Level 2 Award in the Safe Use of Pesticides (PA1) and Safe Application of Pesticides Using Vehicle mounted Boom Sprayer Equipment (PA2).

He also offers field maintenance and fencing and works on a neighbouring farm during the lambing season.

This is where Farming Connect has again helped; through the animal health workshops, he has covered modules advising on the prevention of lambing losses and lameness, improving lamb performance post-weaning and parasite controls.

Dianna says the opportunities available through Farming Connect have really helped to drive the family farming business forward.

“We have a good relationship with our local Farming Connect development officer Lisa Powell, she has been brilliant in giving us advice on which courses and workshops are right for us and signing us up for those,’’ she says.

All your achievements, training and knowledge transfer activities are saved within your personal, online Storfa Sgiliau account, the unique, online professional development tool, available for you to view and download at any time from your BOSS (Business Online Support Service) account.

Education

Lib Dem leader meets student union after scrapping of teacher training

Published

16 hours ago

April 29, 2024

Tom Sinclair

Last week, the Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats Jane Dodds visited Aberystwyth University to meet students following the announcement that the University will be scrapping their Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) program.

The announcement comes after the publication of an Estyn inspection report last year, which found that the institution had “been too slow” when it came to prioritising student support.

The Welsh Liberal Democrats have now called for the University to produce and implement an action plan that will enable the reintroduction of this course at the earliest opportunity, as well as for the Uni to rectify any similar shortcomings in other training programs.

Commenting, the Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats Jane Dodds MS said:

“Aberystwyth university has long been seen as a cornerstone of education here in Wales, and its role in shaping the future of Welsh-medium education is pivotal.

However, the decision by the Education Workforce Council to withdraw accreditation for their teacher training program now puts this at risk.

The report published by Estyn rightfully identified several flaws in the Uni’s approach to supporting student teachers, along with requiring the University to make significant improvement.

The decision of the EWC suggest that these improvements have not been made.

We are now calling on the University to get their act together, fix the shortcomings in this program and begin plans to reintroduce the course as soon as possible.

Commenting, a spokesperson for the Welsh Young Liberals said: “There was an overwhelming lack of support, especially for Disabled Students, which has been consistent since 2020.

Previous lecturers were always late, and assignments were marked late and inconsistently.

As a joint honours student my timetable is very erratic, and this has an adverse effect on my wellbeing.

This does not however, mean that the course should be cut, Aberystwyth university should be looking to improve the course and help deliver the next generation of teachers.”

Commenting, the Welsh Liberal Democrat PPC for Ceredigion Mark Williams said: “The reputation of Aberystwyth University as a well-respected centre of education is rightfully a source of pride for many residents here in Ceredigion.

This is why it is so dis-heartening to hear that the Uni have failed to take the recommendations in the 2023 Estyn report seriously, leading them into the embarrassing position of losing their accreditation which risks delivering a severe blow to the future of Welsh-medium education.

The lack of foresight from the Uni in this regard is deeply worrying and I hope that, for the sake of both the students and the wider community, they take all the steps needed to restart the course at the earliest opportunity.”