Latest news with #HywelDda
South Wales Argus
13 hours ago
- Health
- South Wales Argus
£120m to reduce NHS waiting times in Wales announced
This comes as the latest NHS Wales performance data for April and May 2025 reveal the scale of the challenge ahead. The data show a slight increase in the number of people waiting more than two years for treatment compared to March. However, this figure is 86 per cent lower than its peak. Swansea Bay and Powys health boards have no pathways waiting longer than two years and no one-year waits for a first outpatient appointment. Hywel Dda and Aneurin Bevan university health boards each have fewer than 300 patient pathways waiting more than two years for treatment. Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, however, has the most pathways waiting more than two years for treatment in Wales. Mr Miles said: "It is disappointing to see the increase in long waits in April after all the progress health boards have made over the last few months. "However, this is an annual trend seen in April in Wales and also the other UK nations. "This is why we are making changes to how the NHS provides planned care and are investing £120m to bring down waiting times this year. "This new funding will mean more and faster appointments, tests and treatments over the next 12 months." Nearly 2,000 people started their cancer treatment in April, with just under 15,000 people informed they did not have cancer. Urgent and emergency care services remain busy, with the Welsh Ambulance Service experiencing the busiest May on record. Despite this, the median response time performance was exactly eight minutes, with more than 80 per cent of calls responded to within 15 minutes. The public is urged to call NHS 111 for advice to ensure they receive the right care from the appropriate NHS service for their needs.
Wales Online
a day ago
- Health
- Wales Online
'Disappointing' figures show longest hospital waiting times rise again in Wales
'Disappointing' figures show longest hospital waiting times rise again in Wales Last month the Welsh Government said it had met an ambitious target, but the number has risen again Jeremy Miles said the latest health figures for Wales were 'disappointing' Wales' health minister has admitted it is "disappointing" that the number of longest NHS waits has gone up, a month after the Welsh Government said it was happy to have met a target set by the First Minister. Last year, Eluned Morgan said that by the spring she wanted the number of waits to be "around" 8,000. The corresponding figures came out in May, and showed the number of people waiting for more than two years from referral to treatment had been narrowly missed. When the First Minister made her comments the figure was around 24,000. In January it was 21,087 while in February it was 15,505, before it dropped to 8,389 - the lowest level since April, 2021. For our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation, sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here . This month, however, it has risen again, to 9,625, something health minister Jeremy Miles has said is "disappointing". The vast majority (6,106) are in the Betsi Cadwaladr health board area. Swansea Bay and Powys health boards have no pathways waiting longer than two years, while Hywel Dda and Aneurin Bevan university health boards each have fewer than 300 patient pathways waiting more than two years. This release of data includes the Easter holiday period. Article continues below The latest data for the longest waits shows: Betsi Cadwaladar: 6,106 Powys: 0 Hywel Dda: 208 Swansea Bay: 0 Cwm Taf: 1,168 Cardiff and Vale: 1,863 Aneurin Bevan: 280 Mr Miles said: "It is disappointing to see the increase in long waits in April after all the progress health boards have made over the last few months. However, this is an annual trend seen in April in Wales and also the other UK nations". Asked about his message to people in north Wales, where waits are longer, Mr Miles said there was a higher starting figure in the Betsi health board area, but that there had been "significant" reductions. Data shows the Betsi Cadwaladar figure in October, 2024, was 10,177, which fell to a low of 5,747 in March, then went back up to 6,106 this month. "My message to those patients is I absolutely agree that you should not have to be waiting so long for your treatment. There are a particular set of measures in place which the government has put in place to set clear expectations for the health board in north Wales, but also a key range of support for Betsi to be able to make faster progress," the health minister said. Mr Miles said Easter often caused an increase in the data due to staff being on leave and people's availability for surgery and treatments. "One of the things we want to see is a continuation and services being delivered differently so there's a more consistent pattern throughout the year right across Wales," he said. "What I want to see is those two years coming down, month on month. What we've seen in recent years, is over the Easter period is that can be a challenge and we're reporting on these figures today. We've seen this in other parts of the UK as well, it's not a challenge which is unique to Wales. "What I want to see is that we are heading steadily towards that figure where nobody's waiting more than two years for treatment. I'm confident that we've got plans that will get us there by the end of the Senedd term," he said. It came as the Welsh Government announced £120m, which it said was "new" money, to reduce the longest waits for planned treatment. The money, Mr Miles said, would: Reduce the overall size of the waiting list by 200,000 Eliminate all two-year waits Restore the diagnostic wait times to be reduced to under eight weeks by March, 2026 He said: "This new funding will mean more and faster appointments, tests and treatments over the next 12 months. We're asking people to do all they can to support the NHS by keeping their appointment and making sure they are fit and ready for treatment." Article continues below Urgent and emergency care services continue to see large numbers of people – this was the busiest May on record for the Welsh Ambulance Service, with more red, immediately life-threatening 999 calls. In emergency departments the average time to admission, transfer or discharge was two hours and 46 minutes across all emergency care facilities.
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Health board's fragile services need urgent change
Hospital services across a Welsh health board could be reorganised because they are so fragile. Hywel Dda health board has included critical care, stroke services, eye care and urology among those in need of urgent attention. Among the options would be to halve the number of acute stroke units and centralise planned urology cases and eye care. A number of options will be given to the public, though the health board said it would welcome alternative suggestions as there was no preferred option. It is understood each option put forward would come with a cost implication, but would be less than the current rising costs. First minister 'misses NHS waiting times promise' Hospital's £3m new cancer unit officially opens Man's plea to save stroke unit that helped him talk again Hywel Dda said changes were needed "because of the risks to them being able to continue to offer safe, quality services or timely care". The four main hospitals in the area, which covers Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire and Ceredigion, are Prince Philip in Llanelli, Glangwili in Carmarthen, Withybush in Haverfordwest and Bronglais in Aberystwyth. The health board said clinical teams were spread across multiple sites, over a wide geographic area, and there is an "over-reliance on a small number of individuals". The nine areas deemed most fragile are: Critical care Dermatology Emergency general surgery Endoscopy Ophthalmology Orthopaedics Radiology Stroke Urology Hayden Harres, 65, said his local hospital, Glangwili, was "very good" but he would not want people to have to travel further for care. "Distance is one factor, I think, especially for elderly people. If they have to travel further I don't think the care is better. I have every faith that the local hospital can provide the care that we need," he said. Shadeen Lacaman, 27, from Haverfordwest, added she would support changes "as long as it's not too far from where you live". The health board is not alone in facing challenges of reducing waiting times for treatment. At a time when parts of Wales still have patients waiting longer than two years for care, it has removed those waits entirely, but still has more than 12,000 waiting longer than one year. Staffing issues have improved predominantly due to the recruitment of international nurses, taking band five vacancies down from 280 whole-time equivalent to just 18. The health board said that had substantially reduced its agency spend, but vacancies remained in other areas of its workforce. Plans to update services were first drawn up in 2018 and while the pandemic increased demand, Hywel Dda has also had to contend with significant capital costs associated with issues around reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac) at Withybush Hospital. A new hospital is planned for the area, but will not be built for at least 10 years after delays as well as the impact of inflation on construction costs. Since the pandemic, there has also been an increased emphasis on regional working among health boards in Wales, meaning pressures can be spread across regions, though that also creates fresh logistical challenges. Meanwhile backlog maintenance costs for an ageing estate continuing to rise, meaning doing nothing is not an option. A previous report stated maintenance costs had increased from £60m to £255m since 2018, with £42m categorised as "high risk". Glangwili and Withybush have the "most significant backlogs" at £90m and £72m respectively. Any changes would be closely inspected by patients who are likely to face longer travel times for some services as a consequence, though the plans also include expansion in some areas and a greater role for primary and community services. A public consultation on the options will be held over the summer with final plans expected to be put to the board by November. Mark Henwood, executive medical director of the health board, said the reasons for the changes include difficulties in staffing services across all hospitals and the challenge of getting back to the same levels of treatments that were being delivered before the Covid pandemic. Mr Henwood added: "Basically, we believe we're not delivering the highest standards of care to our patients." He said: "These are not pre-determined options. We are going out to consult with our public about the services and to listen to their views about the services and if they identify options then of course we will consider those. "No staff will lose their jobs during this process. "This is not about saving money. This is about delivering the highest quality care to our patients." Eiry Edmunds, deputy medical director, said clinicians are "anxious for progress and for change" and Senthil Kumar, the lead consultant for stroke services said changes are needed to improve standards of care in a health board where its geography is one of the "biggest issues". The health board said: "Our 2024-25 end of year deficit was £24.1m, subject to audit. "In previous years, spend was higher as a result of challenges faced during and following the Covid-19 pandemic, together with significant inflationary pressures. "Focused effort by our teams, including reduced use of agency staff in the last financial year, and additional funding from Welsh government, has led to an improvement in our deficit position." Nurse pay 'lagging behind' public sector, union says
BBC News
29-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Hywel Dda health board's fragile services need urgent change
Hospital services across a Welsh health board could reorganised because they are so Dda health board has included critical care, stroke services, eye care and urology among those in need of urgent the options would be to halve the number of acute stroke units and centralise planned urology cases and eye care.A number of options will be given to the public, though the health board said it would welcome alternative suggestions as there was no preferred is understood each option put forward would come with a cost implication, but would be less than the current rising costs. Hywel Dda said changes were needed "because of the risks to them being able to continue to offer safe, quality services or timely care".The four main hospitals in the area, which covers Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire and Ceredigion, are Prince Philip in Llanelli, Glangwili in Carmarthen, Withybush in Haverfordwest and Bronglais in health board said clinical teams were spread across multiple sites, over a wide geographic area, and there is an "over-reliance on a small number of individuals".The nine areas deemed most fragile are: Critical careDermatologyEmergency general surgeryEndoscopyOphthalmologyOrthopaedicsRadiologyStrokeUrology The health board is not alone in facing challenges of reducing waiting times for a time when parts of Wales still have patients waiting longer than two years for care, it has removed those waits entirely, but still has more than 12,000 waiting longer than one issues have improved predominantly due to the recruitment of international nurses, taking band five vacancies down from 280 whole-time equivalent to just health board said that had substantially reduced its agency spend, but vacancies remained in other areas of its to update services were first drawn up in 2018 and while the pandemic increased demand, Hywel Dda has also had to contend with significant capital costs associated with issues around reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac) at Withybush Hospital.A new hospital is planned for the area, but will not be built for at least 10 years after delays as well as the impact of inflation on construction costs. Since the pandemic, there has also been an increased emphasis on regional working among health boards in Wales, meaning pressures can be spread across regions, though that also creates fresh logistical backlog maintenance costs for an ageing estate continuing to rise, meaning doing nothing is not an option.A previous report stated maintenance costs had increased from £60m to £255m since 2018, with £42m categorised as "high risk". Glangwili and Withybush have the "most significant backlogs" at £90m and £72m changes would be closely inspected by patients who are likely to face longer travel times for some services as a consequence, though the plans also include expansion in some areas and a greater role for primary and community services.A public consultation on the options will be held over the summer with final plans expected to be put to the board by November.
Pembrokeshire Herald
07-05-2025
- Health
- Pembrokeshire Herald
Merlins Bridge Juniors secure U14s treble with cup final win
Hywel Dda team scoops two national awards for digital innovation in patient care A GROUNDBREAKING digital prehabilitation programme run by Hywel Dda University Health Board has won two national awards for its innovative approach to preparing patients mentally and physically for elective surgery. The health board's Virtual Orthopaedic Prehabilitation and Optimisation Team won the Maximising Digitalisation category at the Welsh Government's 3Ps Healthcare Awards, held recently in Cardiff. Judges praised the team's use of online health, fitness, and wellbeing sessions to deliver personalised care to patients awaiting orthopaedic surgery. The programme's potential for wider use across Wales also earned it the coveted Overall Winner award. One person who has benefited from the programme is 80-year-old former teacher and journalist, Stella Nicholls, from Milford Haven (Pictured). Stella, who had endured years of hip pain, was unable to enjoy everyday activities like gardening, socialising, or attending the theatre. But after taking part in the award-winning programme, she underwent a successful hip replacement at Prince Philip Hospital in Llanelli in January 2025—and is now pain-free and enjoying life once more. Stella was referred to the Prehabilitation and Optimisation Team after joining the waiting list for surgery. Eight months ahead of her operation, the team helped her make lifestyle changes—such as lowering her Body Mass Index (BMI) and increasing physical activity—to reduce the risk of delay and improve her recovery. 'I was invited to take part in an online course run by the Prehabilitation and Optimisation Team,' said Stella. 'It was a 12-week programme of video sessions with a small group of patients like me, all waiting for orthopaedic surgery. 'We were guided by team members through home-based physiotherapy sessions and weekly talks covering diet, mood, pain management, fatigue, and what to expect before, during and after surgery.' Stella said the course was not only informative but emotionally supportive: 'We became like a little family. I looked forward to the sessions and noticed improvements in my mobility and pain levels within weeks. The dietary changes also helped me lose a considerable amount of weight.' She added: 'Being on this course gave me hope. When you're in severe pain and on a long waiting list, you can feel forgotten. This programme made me feel seen and supported. I'm certain I went into surgery in a far better state than I would have otherwise.' Jeremy Miles presents the awards to the Virtual Orthopaedic Prehabilitation and Optimisation team (Image: HDUHB) Rebecca Bowen, Clinical Lead Dietitian for the team, said: 'The 12-week programme supports the Welsh Government's 3Ps policy—Promote healthy behaviours, Prevent worsening health, and Prepare patients for treatment and recovery. We want patients to wait well and avoid last-minute cancellations. Stella's story is a brilliant example of what can be achieved.' For more information on preparing for surgery, contact the Waiting List Support Service on 0300 303 8322, option 3.
