Clwyd
South Assembly Member Ken Skates says “some misinformation” has been spread
about what the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board plans to do with
Llangollen Hospital.
In response
to concern from llanblogger readers, we asked Mr Skates for his view on the
closure proposal which was widely reported in the media on Thursday.
He
replied: “I’m afraid there’s some misinformation being spread about what Betsi
are planning.
“Essentially,
they are looking at replacing the existing service with an enhanced service,
using the former River Lodge Hotel site for a new health centre.
“It will
be far larger and encompass more services than the current building.
“GPs in
Llangollen have been engaged in this project for quite some time and it will
utilise an existing site owned by the taxpayer.
“ Of
course, decisions are subject to a consultation, which will last 10 weeks.”
Mr
Skates has supplied us with a letter, dated July 19, on the proposals he has received from the Health Board’s chief
executive, Mary Burrows, which we bring you below:
Dear Colleague,
RE: HEALTHCARE IN NORTH WALES IS CHANGING
The University Health Board has been working to improve patient safety in a number of
key service areas. This programme of work is called
Healthcare in North Wales is Changing
I know that as partners, many of you have made valuable contributions to the
debate and I’d like to take this opportunity to thank you for your input and update you on
the next steps
The work has focussed on the following service areas:
·
Localities and Community services
·
Paediatric services
·
Maternity, Gynaecology and Neonatal services
·
Non-elective General Surgery
·
Trauma and Orthopaedics
·
Older People with Mental Health Needs
·
Vascular Services
Potential solutions have been developed by clinicians over many months.
They have now been considered by the Health Board at its meeting today (19
th July 2012).
Our Triple Aim is to:
Improve population health
Provide an excellent patient experience
Contain or reduce cost
Why is change needed?
We need to change because this triple aim is currently out of balance. There are stark
differences in the health and life expectancy between people living in the least and most
deprived areas of North Wales.
Working harder or spreading ourselves too thinly is not good enough. We have pockets of
good practice, but patient experience and outcomes vary, and we do not always meet
quality standards.
We face challenges of recruiting and retaining medical and other clinical staff resulting in
gaps and variation in service provision, with increasing costs because we rely upon
expensive temporary staff.
Proposals from the Welsh deanery will affect doctor training numbers and junior doctor
rotas will either have to be shared across sites or between specialties or both.
Issues that have been decided and will not be subject to consultation
·
We will develop services which will improve children’s health in the early years
·
We will help people stay fitter for longer
·
We will develop capacity in primary and community services, including developing
community services for older people with mental health needs, delivering more care
in, or close to home, thereby reducing reliance upon hospital care.
·
We will commission major trauma services for seriously injured patients from the
University Hospital of North Staffordshire in Stoke
·
We will continue to regionalise certain sub-specialities in accordance with accepted
professional standards such as specialist cancer services and some orthopaedic
services
·
There will be three main acute hospitals in North Wales (Ysybty Gwynedd, Ysbyty
Glan Clwyd and Wrexham Maelor Hospital) each with an Emergency Department, a
midwifery-led unit alongside a consultant-led obstetric service and paediatric
emergency and inpatient services, as well as non-elective general surgical and
trauma and orthopaedic services.
The Health Board recognises that there are risks in relation to the workforce, skills
and financial resources needed to deliver these services across the three sites and
will closely monitor the situation. Services will continue to evolve as they work
towards the sustainable delivery of quality standards.
Appropriate contingency arrangements will also be developed to ensure the safety
of patients and staff.
Matters that have not yet been decided and will be subject to consultation
1. Locality and community services
The role of the traditional community hospital will need to change. Some hospitals will be
developed as ‘hubs’ to deliver a wide range of services for a wider population. These
hospitals will be the base for urgent care such as GP out of hours and minor injuries
services. They will provide a range of other services such as x-ray and ultra sound,
therapies and inpatient beds
The location of these hospitals will be a matter for consultation and the following sites have
been proposed:
- Ysbyty Penrhos Stanley
- Ysbyty Gwynedd
- Ysbyty Alltwen
- Dolgellau Community Hospital
- Llandudno Hospital
- Ysbyty Glan Clwyd
- Denbigh Infirmary
- Holywell Community Hospital
- Deeside Community Hospital
- Wrexham Maelor Hospital
These hospitals will be supported by a network of more local community services and
premises, including other community hospitals. This will then have an impact on the range
of services offered by other community hospitals, such as Minor Injuries Units and X Ray.
In addition, there will be a range of specific proposals in:
Meirionnydd
– Changes to services provided from Ffestiniog Memorial Hospital. We will
work with Gwynedd Council to develop services within Blaenau Ffestiniog.
This will include refurbishment of the current hospital to provide enhanced community
services, health promotion, a base for community staff and potentially the expansion of
primary care services.
We are proposing that community hospital bed care and minor injuries services for the
local population would be provided from Ysbyty Alltwen.
North Denbighshire
–Replacement of services provided from the Royal Alexandra
Hospital, Rhyl, and Prestatyn Community Hospital. They will be replaced a new integrated
facility offering health, social and third sector care.
Central & South Denbighshire
–Replacement of services currently provided from
Llangollen Community Hospital. We will develop an extended primary care resource centre
with a wide range of facilities and integrated health, social and third sector care.
Community bed health care will be provided through the roll out of the enhanced care
service and through commissioning care home beds and the use of beds at Chirk hospital.
North West Flintshire
– Changes to services currently provided from Flint Hospital.
Further work will be undertaken jointly with Flintshire County Council on developing a
masterplan for the town. This will include a new facility to replace the current premises and
provide primary and community services. Community hospital bed care and minor injuries
services will be provided from Holywell.
Older People’s Mental Health
We propose to develop more community based services for older people with mental
health needs and reduce dependence on a hospital based institutionalised model of care.
There will need to be changes to our inpatient beds to enable this to happen.
We propose to provide a greater level of community support, together with providing
enhanced residential care in partnership with the local authority to support people within
the community in south Gwynedd; to do this we would propose confirming the closure of
the older people’s mental health units at Dolgellau (Uned Meirion) and Bryn Beryl (Uned
Hafan.)
There are proposals to provide more community based support on Ynys Môn and this will
enable a reduction in the number of beds at Ysbyty Cefni.
There are proposals to replace the inpatient and day services provided at Glan Traeth,
Rhyl, using facilities at the Ablett unit at Ysbyty Glan Clwyd until a new facility in North
Denbighshire is developed.
Neonatal Services
Proposals to develop a single neonatal intensive care service for North Wales babies
which would be provided in the North West of England. This would be for the highest level
of care (needed by around 36 babies per year) and could be commissioned from Arrowe
Park Hospital on the Wirral. Special Care Baby Units will continue to be provided at the
main acute hospitals in North Wales.
Vascular Services
Emergency and major arterial surgery to be consolidated at one acute hospital in North
Wales.
Next Steps
We have discussed our proposals with the Betsi Cadwaladr Community Health Council.
They have agreed that there is a need to hold a period of formal public consultation.
There will be many opportunities to get involved in the consultation process. Please join
the debate.
The formal period of consultation will commence on 20
th August for a period of 10 weeks.
Visit the BCUHB website:
www.bcu.wales.nhs.uk
The full board papers are available on the website:
http://www.wales.nhs.uk/sitesplus/861/page/50076
Email your views to:
Cymraeg:
ymunwch@wales.nhs.uk
English:
jointhedebate@wales.nhs.uk
Write to us at:
Join the Debate
c/o Communications Unit
Ysbyty Gwynedd
Bangor
LL57 2PW
Yours sincerely
MARY BURROWS
CHIEF EXECUTIVE
