AM's concerns over treartment of mentally ill

Cross-border provision for mentally ill patients living in north east Wales is being compromised by Welsh Government diktat to Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, claims an AM.   

 

North Wales Assembly Member Mark Isherwood has taken the matter up with the Health Minister in Cardiff after being contacted by the parents of a mentally ill patient who was denied services in England, despite requiring urgent treatment.  

 

A letter to the parents from Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board  states that “The Welsh Government is clear that where possible Welsh residents should be offered services within Wales”.

 

Mr Isherwood is concerned that the arrangement is detrimental to Welsh patients’ health and welfare and has therefore sent a letter to the Health Minister asking what action he will be taking to ensure Welsh mentally ill patients living near the border are not refused treatment in England in the future.  

 

He said: “Withholding immediate treatment for acute mental health conditions for Welsh patients who have been taken to an English hospital by the Emergency Ambulance Service is simply not acceptable and the Health Minister must review the current set up as a matter of urgency.”

 

Mr Isherwood, who last month called for cross border health services to be properly planned and protected after research evidence indicated that the Welsh Government has a hidden policy to repatriate North Wales patients treated in North West England,  added: “Interdependence between North East Wales and North West England is a matter of incontestable fact and cross-border planning and delivery in health services is theref ore essential if we are to deliver patient-centred support and “seamless transition between in-patient and community services” in the only part of the UK with a connected urban area divided by a National Boundary.”

 

Mr Isherwood’s constituents have also expressed concern about follow-up treatment for mentally ill patients in Flintshire, which they say in comparison to services available in Wirral and Cheshire, are still notably lacking in access to psychological therapeutic interventions.

 

"Get on with new health centre" councillor tells planners

* An artist's impression of the new health centre.

 

A councillor sent out a strong message to the planners of a new £5.5 million health centre in Llangollen – get on with it!

Cllr Stuart Davies, one of the town’s representatives on Denbighshire County Council, was attending the latest in a series of five meetings arranged to update stakeholders on the scheme at Llangollen International Pavilion on Wednesday afternoon.

Managers from the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCUHB), which is building the new facility to replace Llangollen Cottage Hospital which they axed last March, were there to brief around 30 people with an interest in the project, including representatives of local health organisations, patients and voluntary groups.

Project manager Ian Howarth invited discussion on issues such as access to the site of the new centre, on land between the River Dee and the A539 currently occupied by the derelict River Lodge, and whether a pharmacy and a dental surgery should be included in it.

Mr Howarth also outlined the timetable for development, which he said would see an outline business case being considered by the health board in November, a full case being produced next March and building work starting next summer with completion during 2015. 

But Cllr Davies declared: “Let’s stop fannying about and get on with it. People want it!”

Mr Howarth replied: “We are all of the same mind, that we need to get on with it.”

Earlier in the two-hour meeting, BCUHB’s estate development Andy Williams said that “an awful lot of work” had been going on into site investigation, working with the local highways department.

He told the audience: “We accept that access to the site isn’t good and over the last two or three months we have been looking at the main issues such as the maintenance of existing footpaths, moving the 30mph zone, which currently starts closer to the town, to the far end of the River Lodge site and extending street lighting in that area.

“We have also been talking to local bus operators about putting bus stops adjacent to the site as buses won’t be able to get right into the site because they are too large.”

Cllr Davies suggested that rather having people walk to the new centre along the busy A539 road, it might be possible to develop a route leading down the steps from the river bridge and through an adjacent car park.

Andy Williams said this would be looked at by the project team.

On the question of including a pharmacy in the new centre, Ian Howarth said there were arguments for and against this.

There were suggestions from the audience that if Rowlands, which currently runs the pharmacy in Regent Street, moved to the health centre the current chemist would be lost as the company might not be prepared to run two shops in the same area.

This, it was said, might lead to people needing frequent repeat prescriptions having to walk to the other side of town.

But  a representative of Rowlands in the audience said it might be possible to set up a prescription delivery service or a system of ordering repeat prescriptions over the phone.

The issue of the whether a two-chair dental surgery should be included in the new centre was then touched on with Mr Howarth pointing out that there were points for and against it. But he said there might be a need for this as Llangollen currently had only one dentists.

However, he suggested further discussion of this would have to wait until the next stakeholder meeting as there was nobody present from the dental service.

At the start of the meeting there was some criticism of BCUHB for the way the cottage hospital was closed and services transferred to the existing health centre in Regent Street.

Cllr Davies said: “It wasn’t advertised enough so people weren’t aware of what was happening.”

He also asked if the minor injuries unit, which had been moved over from the hospital to the health centre to be run by the GPs based there, was still in operation.

Practice manager Tessa Orton Jones said it was but that it was restricted to Llangollen residents and genuine day trippers to the tourist town.

Some concern was voiced from the audience that this excluded children attending local schools who lived outside the town and residents of nearby Corwen.

Cllr Davies told the BCUHB team they had “messed up good style” by removing in-patient beds from the old hospital and making no provision for replacements in the new centre.

This, he said, was already “coming home to roost” with local people in need of beds being sent to  Deeside, Mold and Flint.

Mr Howarth told him: “We’ll make sure we follow that up.”

Cllr Davies then asked him if there would be beds in the new centre to which Mr Howarth replied: “It terms of this development it doesn’t make sense.”

AM pledges support for National Eye Week

North Wales Assembly Member Mark Isherwood has pledged his support for National Eye Health Week, which takes place between September 16-22.

 

National Eye Health Week brings organisations and health professionals from across the UK together to raise awareness of the importance of good eye health and the need for regular sight tests.

 

Mr Isherwood said: “There are currently nearly 100,000 people in Wales who are living with sight loss and over the next 25 years the number is expected to double. Yet with the appropriate action sight loss can be avoided. It is vital that people are made aware of the importance of good eye health and regular eye tests and I therefore welcome the fact that eye care charities, organisations and health professionals will be coming together next week to promote this.”

 

Ceri Jackson, Chair of the National Eye Health Week steering group in Wales, added: “Fifty per cent of sight loss is avoidable, and the single most important thing that people can do to protect their sight is to go for a test every two years. Many people think that a sight test is just about checking whether your vision needs correcting with glasses or contact lenses, but a sight test is also a vital check of the health of the eyes and includes the detection of eye conditions. Many of these have no early symptoms, but when they are detected early then the right type of treatment could save your sight.

 

“National Eye Health Week is an opportunity for people to come together and raise awareness of the need to be proactive about our eye health in the same way as we would in relation to other health conditions. I’m delighted that Mr Isherwood has pledged his support and hope that as many people as possible can join us during the week in doing their bit to stop people losing their sight unnecessarily.”

 

In addition to sight tests, RNIB recommends four actions to keep your eyes healthy:

 

1 Stop smoking. Smoking can double your risk of developing some eye conditions. In fact, the link is as strong as the link between smoking and lung cancer. Speak to your GP about stopping smoking.

 

2Eat healthily and watch your weight. Eating a diet low in saturated fats but rich in green leafy vegetables such as spinach and broccoli may help protect against eye disease. Oranges, kiwis, nuts, seeds and oily fish may also help. Obesity can increase the risk of diabetes, which in turn could lead to sight loss.

 

3 Keep your eyes covered in the sun. UVA and UVB rays in sunlight can harm your eyes and may increase the risk of cataracts. Wearing sunglasses, glasses or contacts lenses with a built in UV filter will protect your eyes. Only buy sunglasses that have a CE mark or carry British Standard BSEN 1863:1997.

 

4 Safety first. DIY causes thousands of eye related injuries each year. Always wear safety goggles (European Standard BS EN 166) to protect your eyes from flying debris and fine particles. Sports (especially racquet-based sports) also cause lots of eye related injuries each year. Investing in a good pair of protective sports goggles will help prevent serious damage to your eyes.

Former Maelor patients contacted over possible Hepatitis B contact

A small number of obstetric (maternity) and gynaecology patients who were treated at Wrexham Maelor Hospital in the late 1970s are being contacted by the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board as a precautionary measure.

 

The Health Board was recently notified that a former healthcare worker, who worked briefly at the Hospital in the summer of 1978, has been diagnosed with the Hepatitis C virus.

 

The person concerned worked elsewhere in the UK, mainly in South Wales, and is now known to have transmitted the virus to two patients between 1984 and 2003.

 

The Health Board has been reviewing clinical records from that period to identify patients who may have been treated by the affected healthcare worker at that time.

 

The risk of passing on the Hepatitis C virus during a health care procedure is low, and could only happen if the healthcare worker suffered an injury that caused them to bleed while treating a patient.

 

Although the risk is low, as a precautionary measure the Health Board will be writing to patients who may have been treated by the affected healthcare worker to offer them advice and a blood test for Hepatitis C.

 

A dedicated helpline has been set up by the Aneurin Bevan Health Board who are leading this work for Wales.  Patients who receive a letter will be asked to contact the helpline to arrange an appointment at specialist clinic sessions which will be held at Wrexham Maelor Hospital.

 

Mr Andrew Jones, Director of Public Health for the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board said:

 

“I know that this news will cause some concern for patients who were seen in Wrexham at around that time.  However I want to stress that the risk of transmission is low.

 

“Even so, it is important that we contact patients who were treated by this person and offer them support and the opportunity of a blood test.  This will allow us to give reassurance that all is well or, if we do identify a person who is carrying the virus, ensure they get the appropriate advice and treatment.

 

“Because we are tracing old records and checking them very carefully against current information to make sure we have the right information and personal contact details for people, this work is taking time.  We will continue writing to people over the course of the next few weeks.

 

“We are only writing to people who had a procedure where there is a theoretical risk that the infection might have been passed on and where this was, or might have been, carried out by the affected health care worker.  Only people who receive a letter need to contact the helpline.”

 

The affected healthcare worker was at Wrexham Maelor Hospital for a short period from 15th May to 27th June in 1978.  People who do not receive a letter should not be concerned.  If any patient has concern or wants additional information they should phone NHS Direct on 0845 46 47 for further advice.

 

Further information about Hepatitis C is available on the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board website www.bcu.wales.nhs.uk and from the Hepatitis C Trust at www.hepctrust.org.uk.

Local MP hits out over Lobbying Bill

Charities and other community groups could face massive problems because of the Government's new bill on Lobbying, according to Clwyd South Labour MP Susan Elan Jones. 

Ms Jones who is a co-chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for charities, said: "We have seen one tiny change thanks to charities and other groups protesting loudly, but there are still major issues with the bill.

Speaking in the House of Commons yesterday (Tues), Ms Jones said: "Our tradition of charities being allowed to campaign on political issues germane to their charitable activities is at the heart of British life and our democracy.

"It been established in case law since 1917, a year before universal male suffrage. Well before women had the vote, Lord Normand, in the case of Bowman V Secular Society, held that a society whose predominant aim was not to change the law could be charitable when its campaign to change the law was merely a subsidiary activity.

"That tradition has a long pedigree in this country and I do not believe that it should be for tinkering politicians, perhaps fearful of the impact of Cameron and Clegg Non-Mania in 2015, to play with it."

Skates praises nearby community venture

* Ken Skates AM, centre, flanked by Glyn Wylfa officials.

Clwyd South Assembly Member Ken Skates has praised staff after a visit to a not-for-profit social enterprise in Chirk.

The Labour AM visited Glyn Wylfa – which overlooks the town’s famous aqueduct – to meet the team of residents who refurbished and developed the old Chirk Estate office and surrounding site.

 

The project, which includes a business centre and café, opened last year with financial help from the Welsh Labour Government, and Mr Skates described it as an example to others.

 

He said: “Enterprises like this help tackle social problems and improve communities, with money made on the open market reinvested back into the project for the public’s benefit.

 

“It was a privilege to meet the dedicated team at Glyn Wylfa. What they have done there is amazing and a fantastic example of how a community project can take off with the right people involved.”

 

Mr Skates added: “There are currently still office spaces available for businesses to rent, so I would urge any companies which might interested to get in touch with Glyn Wylfa chairman Mick Ramsey.”

 

The café, Caffi Wylfa, uses local suppliers and serves freshly made food prepared on site. It also offers free internet access to all customers and can be booked for private parties. The adjoining community room, which is open seven days a week, is offered to local groups and organisations free of charge.

 

For more information visit www.glynwylfa.co.uk or call 01691 770460.

Message from Limelight Productions ...

Following our review of their musical show at Llangollen Town on Saturday night, we've just received this message from Wrexham's Limelight Productions:

"Thank you so much for the lovely review you wrote for Limelight Productions in Llanblogger. It makes all the hard work we put in to bring good theatre to Llangollen worth while.

"We have had the most wonderful welcome from the people of Llangollen, and know this is going to be a long and happy association. For many years we struggled to find good performance space in the Wrexham area, but I think we have now struck gold.

"We hope we can get involved as much as possible with the many organisations and fund raising efforts of people in the town, and will gladly offer our services and entertainments to organisations wanting to raise funds.

"Thank you once again and we look forward to welcoming you to our future productions at The Town Hall."