Political reaction to Powys health cuts

Powys Teaching Health Board (PTHB) members have unanimously voted to cut the opening hours of minor injury units and centralise some inpatient hospital care.

At a crunch board meeting on Thursday, October 10, members received detailed feedback from a six week engagement process on proposals to downgrade services.

When the board met in July, members agreed to a “temporary” change out of hours treatment at the Minor Injury Units (MIU) at hospitals in Brecon and Llandrindod Wells.

They also agreed that patients should be grouped together in hospitals according to specific need.

This would see two hospital wards in Llanidloes (War Memorial Hospital) and Bronllys spe-cialise in getting patients fit and ready to go home.

The changes are set to come into force by December 1 for a period of six months.

Brecon and Radnorshire Senedd Member James Evans MS said: “This is a sad day for everyone in Powys. To reduce our Minor Injury Services and downgrade wards is the wrong decision. We have seen the slow erosion of healthcare services in Powys for many years now, losing Crug Ward in Brecon or Knighton Hospital to name just a few.

“I had hoped the board members would have recognised the difficulties residents already have in accessing healthcare and oppose these plans, especially as some of them have spent many years campaigning for better healthcare services, but sadly they did not. The board should be listening to the needs and the very real concerns of residents, many of whom put ideas forward at the public meetings on how to increase services and improve efficiencies in the area - but today's meeting just shows they are not listening.

“PTHB say they will monitor the effectiveness of the changes during this 'temporary' period of change, but it is not clear how they intend do this, what measures they will use or how they will know how many people cannot access a specific service. The Health Board still have a major budget deficit to resolve and yet within the past week the Health Board have advertised for an Assistant Director of Transformation & Value on £71k+ and a Deputy Director of Allied Health Professionals on £84k+.

“The Health Board need to take a long hard look at their management structure and ensure that every post is providing taxpayers with value for money, and work towards increasing frontline services rather than reducing them!”

The Welsh Liberal Democrats have described the decision of the Powys Teaching Health Board to approve plans to cut opening hours at minor injury units and changes to wards in Powys as a “grave mistake”.

Welsh Liberal Democrat and Mid and West Wales MS Jane Dodds said: “I am very disappointed by this decision from the Powys Teaching Health Board which will have a severe effect on the quality of healthcare on offer to local residents.

"As a predominantly rural area, we here in Powys cannot afford to place further hurdles in the way of residents simply trying to access healthcare services.

"While I appreciate that PTHB are, like many health boards across Wales, having to deal with a difficult financial picture thanks to decades of neglect to our NHS from Welsh Labour, I’m afraid that the decision to approve these plans was wrong.

"The people of Powys should not be expected to pick up the pieces left by Welsh Labour’s mismanagement of our healthcare services.

"We as the Welsh Liberal Democrats want to see a fresh approach to how the NHS is ran in Wales, an approach that champions the best interests of both patients and staff.”

Welsh Liberal Democrat MP for Brecon and Radnorshire David Chadwick added: “This is a very worrying development from the Powys Teaching Health Board which will undoubtedly create significant problems for local residents when it comes to accessing healthcare services.

"Residents of Powys should not have to deal with the mess created by a series of neglectful Welsh Labour Ministers in Cardiff Bay.

"Welsh Labour’s legacy of failure in running the NHS in Wales is a shameful indictment of a political party that has forgotten its roots, the people of Wales deserve far better.

"The Welsh Liberal Democrats will continue to fight for an NHS that is properly managed and funded in a way that guarantees a high quality of care for people when and where they need it.”