• Specialist beds lost in further cuts to Withybush General Hospital

LOCAL healthcare services have been cut again. The Herald can reveal that specialist inpatient cancer care has ended at Withybush, with cancer patients now being treated in general medicine. 

Oncology and palliative care beds have been re-designated which means that patients needing urgent cancer care cannot be admitted direct to Ward 10. Instead, patients face assessment in A&E before admission before being shared around noncancer specialists to supervise their care. It appears as though despite hundreds of thousands of pounds being raised for Ward 10, the Board is rapidly retreating from its commitment to maintain cancer care services in Pembrokeshire.

As from Friday September 19, there is no longer an on-site consultant oncologist at Withybush for the foreseeable future. Instead of specialist care, cancer patients will be allocated to other physicians and trainees within cancer care will be palmed off onto other consultant physicians. The Pembrokeshire Herald has been informed that a potential consultant oncologist, who has settled in the area, has instead gone to Bronglais where he can achieve certainty and security in his career. The Health Board has been obliged to apply a “sticking plaster” solution by asking Dr Anne Barnes MBE to come out of retirement and work part-time to provide oncology support.

Dr Barnes, awarded an MBE for her services to cancer care in Pembrokeshire, announced her retirement at the beginning of 2014. The Board failed to advertise for a replacement until shortly before she left the Board’s employment in June this year. The Pembrokeshire Herald understands that while doctors are prepared to take up the training of those student doctors previously assigned to cancer care, no cancer training will take place in Haverfordwest. The Board was informing the Deanery of its position this week.

It is understood the one senior doctor has expressed major concerns, in particular criticising the Board for allocating a locum oncologist to Bronglais for a year and not having an oncologist based at Withybush. The Herald believes that the acute intake at Bronglais for cancer care is under half of that at Withybush. The staffi ng issue is understood to be a substantial worry for those concerned in and about cancer care in Pembrokeshire. It is diffi cult to see how advertising a solitary post for one of the sites will attract applicants if there is no proper planned service. There are clinical concerns about inferior care being provided to Pembrokeshire cancer patients if there are no oncologists to look after them.

The Herald spoke to local campaigner Lyn Neville, who said: “It’s crazy. The Board told me that the change might be because of refurbishment, but this is just mad. It is completely wrong that bearing in mind the number of people who need treatment that the Board has withdrawn this specialist service. I am gobsmacked that Bernadine Rees told us all about a refurbished Ward and new Oncology Lounge and failed to tell us this was coming. Is she as bad as the last bloke?” Anne Barnes commented: “The situation currently is that as from last Monday (Sept 22), there are no longer any dedicated inpatient cancer care services at Withybush. There are no longer any palliative, haematology or oncology beds.

They have been re-designated. They Health Board have their reasons, and have expressed a rational but we feel that things could have been handled differently. I am looking forward to meeting with Acute Services Clinical Director, Dr Sian Lewis, on Monday in the effort to resolve the situation satisfactorily and reinstate services at Withybush for the benefi t of patients in Pembrokeshire.” Ms. Barnes added: “I would encourage patients and their families to make their views known to both the Board and their local and national representatives.”

Challenge to Board: Where is Pembrokeshire’s money?

CHRIS EVANS THOMAS of Adam’s Bucketful of Hope and Anne Tadman of Cancer C.O.P.S. were appalled at the Board’s conduct. They said as follows: “On September 8 we were at a meeting chaired by Paul Hawkins, the Board’s Chief Operating Offi cer. At that meeting we were told the Board was committed to providing specialist care. We were told of a green light for a new Ward 10 and Cancer Day Unit. “Now this! Does the right hand not know what the left hand is doing, or is the Board treating us like mushrooms? “Well, enough is enough. If the Board cannot or will not provide the care it has failed to deliver for so long, if the Board cannot keep its promises, we will have the money we have raised back so we can do it. “The Board took £3.9m of money raised in Pembrokeshire and dumped it into a central pot. That money was raised in Pembrokeshire to be spent in Pembrokeshire. All the clever, clever bookkeeping in the world cannot hide that. “So we say: ‘Show us the money!’ “We want to see the books to fi nd out where Pembrokeshire’s money went. We challenge the Board to show us. If they won’t, it will show that the Board has something to hide. If they have been honest and straightforward, they have nothing to fear.”