AM calls for Welsh Government statement on health shake-up

Assembly Member Mark Isherwood has called for a Welsh Government statement on the consultation on controversial NHS shake-up plans for North Wales following accusations from campaigners that it is flawed and that petitions have been ignored.

 

Betsi Cadwaldr University Health Board has been consulting on plans to close minor injuries units along with some community hospitals - including Llangollen - while specialist care for very ill newborn babies could be moved from Denbighshire's Glan Clwyd Hospital to Arrowe Park Hospital in Wirral.

The board is due to discuss the proposals at its meeting this Friday, which is open to the public.

* Mark Isherwood AM. 

Mr Isherwood has been contacted by campaigners throughout North Wales who claim that interpretation by independent analysts of the data generated during the public consultation does not reflect the true feelings of people in the region.

Llangollen campaigners have expressed fury that the analysis seems to dismiss those thousands who signed petitions out of their own free will.

 

In this week’s Business Statement Mr Isherwood asked the Welsh Government to respond to the concerns and for an Assembly debate on these in Government time.

He said: “Widespread concern has been expressed by campaigners throughout the region regarding Opinion Research Services, which carried out the consultation on behalf of the Health Board, with one constituent quoted as saying that “it strains all sense of credulity in its blatant manipulation of numbers in order to arrive at the result that it sets out to achieve.

 

“There has been widespread concern from Flint, Prestatyn, Llangollen and across north Wales about the fact that thousands of signatures on petitions have been ignored.

 

"Also, the largest responses, which came from the wider consultation, have been completely ignored; the majority of people were opposed, but you would not know that from the consultation report. We therefore need a statement, hopefully before this goes to the board on Friday, and we certainly need time in this Assembly to debate the concerns now being raised.”

The Minister for Finance and Leader of the House, Jane Hutt, told Mr Isherwood his request for a statement “is premature because it pre-empts the report and response from Betsi Cadwaladr University Local Health Board, which are forthcoming.”

Vehicles stopped in safety clampdown

Over 100 vehicles were stopped as part of an operation to ensure the safety of schoolchildren in Denbighshire and Flintshire.
 

On Tuesday, 15^th January officers from North Wales Police, Denbighshire and Flintshire County Councils and VOSA worked in partnership on Operation Coachman – a national operation aimed at checking the roadworthiness of vehicles used to transport children to and from school.
 

The vehicles stopped included taxis, minibuses, coaches, buses as well as ordinary vehicles belonging to members of the public.
 

During the operation whereby a total of 106 vehicles were stopped, two immediate suspensions, six deferred warning notices, four immediate prohibitions and one delayed prohibition were given. These were for a variety of offences including the general maintenance of the vehicles, health and safety requirements, fuel leak, defective tyres and a hazardous step on a double-decker bus.
 

Fixed Penalty Notices were also given regarding mobile phone and seatbelt offences and ten bylaw offences for vehicle general maintenance matters.
 

Sergeant Emlyn Hughes said: “It is disappointing that drivers with the responsibility for transporting children don’t spend their time checking their vehicles are roadworthy before use.
 

“We want to ensure that children have a safe journey to and from school and I would urge all drivers to carry out simple checks ahead of their journey, such as checks on lights, brakes and tyres.”
 

Further checks across the region’s counties will continue.


Watch the video with this story:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-wDqmo9E54&feature=player_embedded

Council says it's ready for the snow

Look after your elderly

neighbours is the advice

Denbighshire County Council is gearing up for the snow predicted to affect the North Wales region later this week.

The Met Office has issued an amber warning of heavy snow and freezing temperatures, with the potential of disruption to the Denbighshire area and the council is advising people to keep an eye on the weather forecasts for up to date predictions and to take the necessary precautions.

The council says it is monitoring the situation closely, with the highways department geared up to deal with any potential problems on the county's roads when the snow arrives.  In the meantime, the council says it will continue to undertake precautionary salting.

The council currently has 7,000 tonnes of grit in stock, this compares with 4,500 tonnes of salt that is used in a normal winter.

Councillor David Smith, Cabinet Lead Member for Environment, said: "The council is fully prepared to deal with the wintry weather.

"As is the nature of weather, we cannot be precise about how badly our county will be affected. With prior warning we can ensure that we do as much as possible to be prepared and to inform people to take the necessary precautions, should the severe weather affect us as is predicted for Friday."

Meanwhile, the council is calling on people to keep an eye on the elderly and vulnerable, especially during the bad weather.

Councillor Bobby Feeley, Cabinet Lead Member for Social Care and Well-being, said: "It is vitally important that will freezing weather is forecast, people should keep an eye on their elderly friends, neighbours and relatives.

"Calling in to make sure they are warm enough, have enough food and are generally well is important and can be a lifeline to those who may not have people they can call upon living nearby."

Any information related to the weather will be published on the council's website: www.denbighshire.gov.uk, on the council's Facebook page or on Denbighshire's Twitter feed.

Concern voiced over Llan Pavilion's finances

* Llangollen Pavilion.

A Llangollen resident says Denbighshire County Council should consider changing the way it manages the town’s Pavilion arena and concert hall.

Alan Found has contacted llanblogger to say: “In April last year I made a Freedom of Information request in relation to the financial situation of The Pavilion. I thought it was about time I made these shocking numbers more widely known.

“The numbers are for the 11 months of the year when the facility is run by Denbighshire County Council. This does not include the one month a year when it is run extremely successfully by the Eisteddfod.

“In essence, from April 2011 to 2012 they projected a loss (or subsidy) of  £183,611 and for 2012 to 2013 a loss (or subsidy) of £159,611.

“Surely this facility should be a major contributor to the economy not a burden. We have the Town Hall for community usage – that is where subsidies should go.

“Every weekend of the year should see the Pavilion full and buzzing, providing jobs and making a major contribution to the Llangollen economy through hotel room, restaurant and shopping sales.

“The food festival is a fine example of what is possible - it made thousands of pounds for the town.

“How long will this scandal of such an expensive but underused asset be allowed to continue?

“It must be time for a fundamental change in how it is managed.”

Mr Found added: "This asset could undoubtedly be a major contributor to the local economy, and if the way DCC are managing the Pavilion isn't delivering this, they need to change their approach - no excuses."

Mr Found says the figures he obtained are:

Llangollen Pavilion Accounts
	Budget 2011/12 £	Forecasted Outrun £	Forecasted Variance £	Budget 2012/13
Costs
Staff costs	132,580	128,430	4,150	130,156
Premises	95,939	92,661	3, 278	89,096
Travelling	1,090	606	484	526
Supplies	36,934	34,563	2,731	8,474
Income	82,932	72,649	10,283	68,641
Loss (or subsidy)	- 183,611	- 183,611		- 159,611

 A spokeswoman for Denbighshire County Council said: "The council subsidises the pavilion as they do many other important assets. The subsidy to the pavilion has been reduced for the last two years.

“The venue was in a precarious position two years ago, until our department intervened, and improved the performance significantly, turning around a significant deficit position.

“The council net subsidy, as highlighted in the table below, has reduced by almost 30K and will continue to reduce in 2013 /14 by a further 25k.

“The programme continues to grow and develop, and has done for the last two financial years under our management.”

Row over overseas tourism cash

Of interest to people involved in the tourism in Llangollen will be the fact that the BBC news website is reporting on a row over the amount of Welsh Government cash spent to attract overseas visitors to Wales.

See the story at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-20989259

AM slams cuts in police starting pay

Plans to cut the starting pay of police constables in Wales have been condemned by Clywd South Assembly Member Ken Skates.

The Home Secretary has announced that the starting salary for PCs in England and Wales is to be cut by £4,000 to £19,000.

The move comes following the Winsor review last year which proposed changes to police pay, conditions and allowances.

 

Mr Skates said: "It is particularly disappointing that the starting salary of a police officer will be cut in Wales, but will not be cut in Scotland. This seems very unfair and may only serve to undermine morale of officers here in Wales.

“We are at an all time low in terms of police numbers and putting a further restraint on recruitment will only exacerbate the problem. My own force in North Wales is already facing a 20% cut in funding over the next couple of years and now they will have this on top.

“Trying to penny-pinch when it comes to crime and anti-social behaviour will go down very badly in communities across Wales. I’m worried that this move will impact on the diversity of people coming into the force and put people off joining the police.

“The worry is that this will be the start of a bigger suite of changes to police officers terms and conditions. Plans are already circulating about allowing forces to make officers redundant.

“This not the time to be cutting back on police officers and the essential work that they do. These changes represent a false economy because figures released only last week show the number of young police officers in England and Wales had fallen by nearly 50% in two years.”

Major NHS reform goes ahead elsewhere in Wales

Welsh Conservatives have condemned a decision to push ahead with major NHS reform in mid and west Wales.
 

They say that in a Hywel Dda health board meeting today (Tuesday), proposals to downgrade services, cut bed numbers, close minor injury units and make significant changes to paediatrics were rubber-stamped.
 

The decisions follow significant opposition to the plans in a statutory consultation and previous assurances from the Health Minister that no hospital would be downgraded.
 

On Friday, members of the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board will consider plans for a major shake-up of services in north Wales - including the closure of Llangollen Cottage Hospital and its replacenment with a new haelth centre in the town.
 

Meanwhile, the public engagement process on health changes in the Hywel Dda area has been questioned by Welsh Conservatives.
 

Shadow Minister for Health, Darren Millar AM, said: “These unwanted plans have been steamrollered through despite strong opposition across the region.
 

“An axe has fallen on community services and beds, patients will be forced to travel further for treatment, and the health minister’s promises on hospital downgrading now stand shamefully broken.
 

“I urge her to condemn these decisions and face up to the fact that Labour’s record-breaking budget cuts have forced this reform agenda.

“The consultation – which included deep-seated disagreement with these plans – appears to have been disregarded by NHS management and the entire public engagement process called into question.”
 

Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire Assembly Member Angela Burns said: “Following many months of constant worry, the worst fears of thousands have come true.
 

“The consultation has been thrown to the dogs and one final chance to use some common sense has been ignored."