Welsh ambulance bosses won't commit to clarity
During his time in charge, ambulance waiting times have increased fourfold across Wales. Mr Killens said the situation had to be addressed. Mr Killens has been Wales ambulance boss for more than six years, a period which coincides with a fourfold increase in Welsh ambulance waiting times.
The Argus contacted the service to ask whether Gwent and the Aneurin Bevan Health Board Area could see an improvement in ambulance services soon. However, the Service was not willing to give any assurances or openly comment or speculate on future services in the area.
This week, Mr Killens told BBC news that ambulance waiting times were causing a lot of avoidable harm to patients across Wales, a situation he regrets. However, he claims the service is now in a better position after his time in charge.
Speaking out this week, the departing ambulance boss said hundreds of patients come to avoidable harm because ambulances are forced to wait outside A&E departments. This service choke, which has been blamed for agonising ambulance waits, has been dubbed 'handover delays.'
These delays occur when hospitals are choked and this can cause things such as long waits in ambulances for patients and a slowing down of ambulance dispatches. The situation is said to be beyond the control of ambulance services and a matter for hospital managers and policy makers.
Last year's Wales-wide average monthly loss was more than 29,000 hours.
In response to our questions about possible improvements in the Gwent area, the Wales Ambulance Service said: 'As Jason's already set out his position on handover delays, it doesn't make sense for us to issue a comment in response to his views when you've already had it from the horse's mouth, as it were.'
Jason Killens began working for the Wales Ambulance Service in 1996 and leaves his Wales-based post in July.
The South Wales Argus has approached the Welsh Government for a comment on whether ambulance delays are a matter for Welsh policy makers and hospital managers.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South Wales Argus
6 hours ago
- South Wales Argus
Thousands of pupils in Wales exposed to unsafe air pollution
More than 65,000 young people across Wales are living in areas where air quality breaches World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines, according to analysis by Friends of the Earth using Defra data from 2021 to 2023. The findings show that 79 per cent of Welsh neighbourhoods exceed recommended levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and particulate matter (PM2.5), with 203 schools affected. Joseph Carter, chair of Healthy Air Cymru and head of devolved nations at Asthma and Lung UK Cymru, said: "Schools should be safe places for young people. "It's shocking to discover thousands of school children in Wales are breathing in dangerous, polluted air that could damage their lungs." The top 10 worst-affected schools are in Cardiff, but high pollution levels were also recorded in Newport, Swansea, Caerphilly, Vale of Glamorgan, and Neath Port Talbot. Haf Elgar, vice-chair of Healthy Air Cymru and director of Friends of the Earth Cymru, said: "This data is a timely reminder that we must go further and faster to clean up our dirty air. 'Air pollution affects the most vulnerable in society the most, who are often doing the least to cause it."
The Independent
7 hours ago
- The Independent
Assisted dying latest: Landmark bill hangs in balance ahead of crucial MPs vote
The assisted dying bill is back in the Commons on Friday as MPs prepare for a crucial vote that could see it either fall or move on to the House of Lords. Campaigners are making their final cases ahead of the third reading of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill at 9.30am. A vote is expected later on Friday afternoon. The bill would allow terminally ill adults in England and Wales with fewer than six months to live to apply for an assisted death, subject to approval by two doctors and a panel featuring a social worker, senior legal figure and psychiatrist. Supporters of the bill have argued that people must be given a choice at the end of their lives, but opponents have warned that it fails to guarantee protections for society's most vulnerable. MPs are entitled to have a free vote on the bill, meaning they decide according to their conscience rather than along party lines. The relatively narrow majority means every vote will count on Friday, to secure the bill's passage for further debate and voting.
BBC News
8 hours ago
- BBC News
Assisted dying bill supporter scared of 'being trapped in pain'
A woman who is "terrified" of being "trapped" in pain has said assisted dying should be available to all those "suffering intolerably".Gemma Williams, from Carmarthenshire, has lived with multiple sclerosis (MS) for more than 20 years and said her condition can affect her sight, leave her unable to leave bed and cause real Friday MPs will vote on proposed legislation to allow people in England and Wales approaching the end of their life to access medical help to opponents say the plans are "unsafe". "It's awful when I've had periods where I'm just in so much pain on a daily basis," said Ms Williams, from Llanddeusant."Luckily I know that there's been periods of remission, and it has eased, but if that was my reality and it was going to be there all the time I really don't know how I would deal with that."The 47-year-old said she believed assisted dying should be available for all those "suffering intolerably"."You can have the best palliative care in the world and still be in pain and suffering," she said."Why prolong it and be forced to go on suffering?"It's wrong that somebody else should tell me I have to continue living in agony when I don't want to and there's no way of alleviating that pain." What is the assisted dying bill? The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill was introduced by Labour MP Kim proposes letting terminally ill people end their life if they:are over 18, live in England or Wales, and have been registered with a GP for at least 12 monthshave the mental capacity to make the choice and be deemed to have expressed a clear, settled and informed wish, free from coercion or pressureare expected to die within six monthsmake two separate declarations, witnessed and signed, about their wish to diesatisfy two independent doctors that they are eligible - with at least seven days between each assessmentCritics of the bill include Paralympian and House of Lords crossbencher Baroness Grey-Thompson."The current bill is unsafe, this is not about the principle, it is about the detail," she told BBC Wales. "The bill would allow any doctor to raise this no matter how vulnerable the patient is, including those with learning disabilities. "Private for profit contractors can run the service with no profit cap and no transparency obligations," she added. What is the assisted dying vote on Friday? On Friday MPs will vote on whether to pass or reject the entire they vote in favour, it will move on to the House of Lords for further consideration. If they do not support it, the bill will MPs last voted on the bill in November it was backed by 330 votes to Wales' 32 MPs, 23 voted in favour, six voted against and three did not Labour MP for Vale of Glamorgan Kanishka Narayan has already said he will vote against the bill on Friday having supported it in told BBC Wales that while he believed "in the principle" of assisted dying, "the safeguards currently present leave just too many vulnerable people exposed to either misinformed or coerced death".Meanwhile, Labour MP for Rhondda and Ogmore Sir Chris Bryant - who abstained in November - has said he will back the bill this Cymru's Liz Saville Roberts has supported the legislation to date and ahead of Friday's vote said "we cannot look away from suffering simply because the legislation is difficult".However her Plaid colleague Ann Davies will vote against the bill, and said she was "not convinced this legislation provides adequate safeguards for the most vulnerable".Monmouthshire Labour MP Catherine Fookes said she would back the plans after seeing her father's experience with illness and palliative care."Sadly, the current law is failing too many terminally ill people," she said. How would assisted dying work in Wales? Before a vote is held on the bill as a whole, the Commons will first have to complete discussions and vote on outstanding amendments, including one that relates to the power of the Welsh a previous change to the bill, as things stand the Senedd would have the right to choose when most of the bill would become law in is seeking to reverse that, leaving the Senedd with powers over how the system would work within the Welsh NHS, but not over the law as a of the Senedd (MSs) voted against the principle of an assisted dying law last October, with 19 in support and 26 those opposed at the time were First Minister Eluned Morgan and Health Minister Jeremy Miles - senior figures in the government who would be tasked with implementing the bill in the bill completes its journey through the UK Parliament and becomes law, the Senedd would have to vote again on whether they agree with the is expected that vote would take place in the autumn.
