Health
Calls to declare health emergency in Wales narrowly rejected
THE WELSH PARLIAMENT narrowly rejected calls to declare a health emergency due to the “existential threat” facing the NHS.
With the vote deadlocked at 26-26, Elin Jones – the Senedd’s speaker or Llywydd – used her casting vote against the Plaid Cymru motion in line with convention.
Mabon ap Gwynfor, the shadow health minister, urged the Welsh Government to recognise an unfolding emergency and bring the NHS “back from the brink”.
The Plaid Cymru MS warned that without a drastic course correction, the health service faces a highly uncertain future.
He said: “We have brought forward this debate today with one clear purpose: to try to convince the government we need to recognise the existential threat facing the NHS, which is so valuable to us, by declaring a health emergency in Wales.”
Mr Gwynfor, who represents Dwyfor Meirionnydd, pointed out that waiting lists have hit record highs in July, August, September and October.
‘Limbo’
He told the chamber that there are 582,000 people waiting for treatment – almost a fifth of Wales’ population, who are “stuck in this ever-expanding limbo zone”.
Turning to cancer services, Mr Gwynfor said only around 54% of patients started treatment within the recommended 62 days against a target of 75% which has never been met.
He added that ambulances spent a combined total of 22,000 hours parked outside hospitals waiting to drop off patients in December alone.
Mr Gwynfor quoted Wes Streeting, Labour’s shadow health minister at Westminster, as saying: “You would have to be living on Mars not to see the NHS is in an emergency.”
He urged Welsh Labour to “come back to earth and open their eyes to what is happening here on their watch”.
Pointing out that the Senedd was the first parliament in the world to declare a climate emergency, he urged Welsh ministers to do the same with health.
‘Collapse’
Russell George, the Conservatives’ shadow minister, raised concerns about a GP crisis, saying the number of patients per GP has risen by a third in less than a decade.
Mr George accused the Welsh Government of failing to sufficiently recruit, train and retain NHS staff more broadly than GPs.
He moved the Conservatives’ amendments, which urged the Welsh Government to develop a workforce plan and set a target to eliminate two-year waits by September.
The Montgomeryshire MS said: “The staffing crisis is so acute that we do need to act now to prevent the collapse of our NHS.
“Those aren’t my words, those are the words straight from the British Medical Association.”
Mr George told MSs that 25,000 people are waiting more than two years for treatment in Wales but in England and Scotland such waits have been virtually eliminated.
‘Miracles’
Huw Irranca-Davies recognised the challenges but said it must be balanced against the miracles being performed daily by the health service.
The Labour backbencher praised the “amazing” treatment he has received from the NHS, saying he has not experienced long delays.
The Ogmore MS, whose wife works in A&E, said: “It isn’t because, as somebody will say ‘well, you’re an MS, your name goes up the list’ – it isn’t that.
“The NHS treats me like any other citizen. It’s seen me, it’s seen me promptly and it’s getting me through the system as fast as it possibly can, and I’m having the best of service.”
Jane Dodds, the Lib Dems’ leader in Wales, focused her contribution on rural communities, calling for a rural GP premium to help with recruitment and retention.
The Mid and West Wales MS warned that GPs are continuing to say they have had enough.
She raised a Royal College of GPs survey which found that one in four did not expect to be in their current role in five years’ time.
‘Crisis’
Eluned Morgan, Wales’ health minister, said: “I don’t accept there is a health emergency and I’m not really sure what we hope to achieve by declaring a health emergency.”
During the debate on February 7, she told the chamber that the Welsh Government has prioritised the NHS in the face of more than £1bn of real-terms cuts.
She said achieving performance targets has been difficult because demand has gone through the roof, with referrals increasing by 10% last year to 1.5 million.
Baroness Morgan pointed out that almost 300,000 people – about the population of Cardiff – are seen as out-patients every month by the Welsh NHS.
She said more than 2,500 people attend A&E and about 1,100 people call 999 every day.
The minister stressed: “I think the vast majority of these people would say that there is not a crisis. People fall over themselves to tell me how great their treatment has been….
“You’ve got to balance it. We’ve got to balance all of the criticism with the great work that is being done in the NHS.”
Health
Pressures remain high despite the end of ambulance ‘critical incident’
AMBULANCE service pressures remain high despite the end of a 48-hour critical incident declared by the Welsh Ambulance Service.
The incident, triggered by overwhelming demand and a backlog of 340 emergency calls on Monday, was formally stood down after significant strain on resources.
Judith Bryce, assistant director of operations, said: “While the critical incident is behind us, significant pressures remain, and it’s really important that the public play their part to protect our precious resources for those who need them most.”
Ambulance chiefs have urged the public to use the service responsibly, advising people to only dial 999 in life-threatening emergencies and consider alternatives such as NHS 111 Wales symptom checkers, pharmacists, minor injuries units, or GPs.
“For anyone under the weather after New Year’s Eve celebrations, consider what you can do at home to self-care, including for common ailments like coughs, sore throats, and diarrhoea,” Ms Bryce added.
She also warned the public to take extra care while yellow weather warnings for heavy rain and high winds remain in place, highlighting the risk of accidents on the road and injuries from slips, trips, and falls.
The pressures extended beyond the ambulance service, with health boards including Cwm Taf Morgannwg, Hywel Dda, Aneurin Bevan, and Cardiff and Vale reporting increased demand. These boards introduced mask-wearing measures last week due to rising flu cases.
Jason Killens, chief executive of the ambulance service, described the critical situation as “very rare” and stressed the importance of using emergency services wisely.
This is not the first time a critical incident has been declared during winter pressures. In December 2020, south Wales experienced a similar crisis, while an extraordinary incident was declared in 2023 after an ambulance waited over 28 hours outside a hospital.
The Welsh government acknowledged the ongoing pressures on urgent and emergency care services and urged the public to carefully consider their options before seeking care.
Health
Critical incident declared by Welsh Ambulance Service due to demand
A “CRITICAL INCIDENT” was declared by the Welsh Ambulance Service on Monday (Dec 30) evening due to significantly increased demand and extensive handover delays.
The service, which covers more than three million people across Wales, reported over 340 calls waiting to be answered at the time the incident was declared.
More than half of the ambulance vehicles were stuck outside hospitals waiting to hand over patients, resulting in some people waiting “many hours” for an ambulance and delays in answering emergency calls.
Welsh Conservative Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, James Evans MS, said: “Another critical incident declared by the Welsh Ambulance Service with over 340 calls waiting, ambulances stuck outside hospitals, and patients waiting hours for care.
“This is not just a winter crisis, it is a symptom of long-term failures in Labour-run Wales. Patients and frontline workers deserve better.
“It’s time for real leadership to fix this problem once and for all.”
The public has been urged to call 999 only in the event of serious emergencies.
The Welsh Ambulance Services University NHS Trust said it had implemented additional measures to ensure services could continue.
Stephen Sheldon, Head of Service, said: “It is very rare that we declare a critical incident, but with significant demand on our service and more than 90 ambulances waiting to hand over patients outside of hospital, our ability to help patients has been impacted.
“Regrettably, this means that some patients will wait longer for an ambulance to arrive and for their calls to be answered.
“For that, we are very sorry because this is not the level of service we want to provide.
“We understand that this is frustrating for patients, but can assure them that we are doing everything we can to relieve the pressure on our service.”
A critical incident is the highest alert level used by the NHS, allowing management to take immediate steps to create capacity.
Sheldon added: “The public can help by only calling 999 in the event of a life-threatening emergency – that’s a cardiac arrest, chest pain, breathing difficulties, loss of consciousness, choking, or catastrophic bleeding.
“If it’s not a life-threatening emergency, then it’s important you use one of the many alternatives to 999, starting with the symptom checkers on our NHS 111 Wales website, as well as your GP, pharmacist, and minor injuries unit.”
Earlier on Monday, Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust, which operates Walsall Manor Hospital, also declared a critical incident due to rising numbers of people needing urgent and emergency hospital care, predominantly for respiratory conditions.
Health
Hospital visiting precautions in place ‘to protect patients’
VISITORS to hospitals across Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, and Pembrokeshire are being asked to only attend if they are free of any potential flu-like symptoms, or any sickness or diarrhoea. Additionally, they may be requested to wear face masks before entry to certain wards or departments.
Seasonal flu and winter vomiting viruses are affecting patients on several wards with infection prevention and control actions being taken, as necessary.
Visitors are asked to only come to see their loved ones if they are free of any infections, to wash hands before leaving home and clean hands on arrival at the hospital/ward using the hand sanitiser. Visitors may also be asked to wear face masks/coverings on the ward/department they are visiting. Masks will be available at the hospital entrance or can be provided on affected wards.
There are additional restrictions in place that limit visitors to:
Acute Medical Assessment Unit (AMAU) at Prince Philip Hospital, Llanelli. Please discuss individual patient visiting arrangements at AMAU with the nurse in charge.
This arrangement will be reviewed daily, and restrictions will be lifted as soon as possible. The health board’s website will be updated daily with details of wards with enhanced restrictions on visiting.
Janice Cole Williams, Assistant Director of Nursing at Hywel Dda University Health Board
said: “Within affected wards, all staff are wearing masks and visiting is limited at Prince Philip Hospital’s AMAU to help stop spread of infection.
“Our local community can help us avoid outbreaks of infection by not visiting family and friends in hospital if they are feeling unwell themselves.
“Annual flu vaccination is also undoubtedly the best way to protect against catching or spreading flu. Not only can it prevent you from becoming very unwell, it can also help reduce your risk of secondary infections such as pneumonia, which can be dangerous if you are clinically vulnerable.”
Vaccination centres are open, with no appointment needed today (Monday), until 5.30pm and tomorrow, Tuesday, December 31 for all people eligible for flu and COVID-19 vaccinations. This includes children aged two years (on 31 August 2024) to those in year 11 who can access the nasal flu vaccine at the centres.
Drop in any time between 9.15am and 5.30pm 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 six 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 six 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: ask.hdd@wales.nhs.uk
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