National Health Service

[Hugo]

I had to go to the outpatients reception at Ysbyty Glan Clwyd this morning and arrived early so I could get a parking space
I have never seen it so busy and after about 20 minutes of driving around and finding nothing, Mrs H dropped me off and went looking around  for a parking space herself,    She gave up after another 20 minutes and ended up parking by the Marble Church
The hospital was full and how the NHS staff have coped with working under sustained pressure is beyond me.    I hope the present dispute over pay can be resolved asap for every ones sake

[Nemesis]

I went to a clinic at Llandudno hospital yesterday and it was just the opposite.-------------a bit like ghost town !

[SteveH]

NHS Wales is not functional, says BMA head Iona Collins

Wales does not have a functioning NHS and people do not have faith in it, claims the head of a doctors' union.

Dr Iona Collins, of the British Medical Association in Wales, said people suffering with chest pain "don't even know" if an ambulance will come.

Latest figures show a higher percentage of people are waiting two years or more for treatment in Wales than England.

The Welsh government said it's spending more to help the NHS recover from the pandemic and cut waiting times.

One patient who has given up waiting for a hip replacement will travel to Lithuania for treatment on Monday, paying 10,000 pounds

cont https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-65361431

[SteveH]

A social care champion has called for an urgent Welsh Government inquiry into a massive North-South divide in care home fees. According to Mario Kreft MBE, the chair of Care Forum Wales (CFW), the difference in the amount paid by local authorities for the care of individual residents can be more than ?10,000 a year per person.

An investigation carried out by CFW has revealed the rates paid for residential care by the six councils in North Wales are the lowest in Wales. He?s so concerned about the seriousness of the situation that he?s written to North Wales Minister Lesley Griffiths MS, urging her to launch an official inquiry to establish the cause of the disparity.

Mr Kreft says the daily rate of just over ?100 paid in North Wales for residential care is a lot less than the ?123 a day councillors can claim in expenses while on council business. In addition to being ?unjust and unfair?, Care Forum Wales believes the fees paid in North Wales are also unlawful because they do not reflect the true cost of providing care as they are required to do.

cont https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/north-south-divide-home-fees-26801213

[SteveH]

THE Welsh Ambulance Service has unveiled more high-tech additions to its fleet.

The new vehicles have taken pride of place in the Trust?s Non-Emergency Patient Transport Service, which takes people to and from their routine hospital appointments and discharges people home after a stay in hospital.

The latest features include USB ports, patient call buttons and entertainment systems to improve the experience of those on board.

New handrails make it easier for patients to get on and off the vehicle, and new tail lifts mean crews no longer need to push patients up a ramp, reducing the risk of injury.

Among the new additions is a Toyota RAV4 self-charging hybrid car, a custom Ford Transit small ambulance and two refreshed Renault Masters to cater for wheelchair users and patients requiring a stretcher.

The majority of vehicles are speed-limited to improve fuel consumption, and almost all vehicles in the 270-strong non-emergency fleet have been installed with solar panels to minimise the need for mains charging.

cont https://www.northwalespioneer.co.uk/news/23488805.welsh-ambulance-service-unveils-new-additions-vehicle-fleet/

[SteveH]

Betsi Cadwaladr health board: Concern at dropped fraud probe

Ex-independent members of north Wales' health board are "flabbergasted" that a fraud probe into the body has been dropped, a Senedd committee has heard.

Specialist investigators concluded last month that no further action was needed after auditors discovered ?122m was not properly accounted for.

One ex-board member said an accountancy firm had found a "range of financial irregularities".

cont https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-65468738

[SteveH]

The number of pharmacies in England has fallen by 160 over the last two years, BBC analysis shows.

There are now 11,026 community chemists, according to data from NHS Business Services Authority - the lowest number since 2015.

Rising operational costs, staff shortages and reduced government financial support have been blamed.

This is despite rising patient demand, and plans for pharmacists to provide more services to ease pressure on GPs.

Pharmacists are warning that many more local businesses could close, without help.

Online services are available, but many rely on a local chemist for advice and to pick up prescriptions.

cont https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-65481473

[SteveH]

Bearing in mind the above story..........

More people will be able to access health services without needing to see a GP under a plan launched by officials in England.

It asks patients to use high street pharmacies for some common drug prescriptions and routine tests to ease the pressure on busy doctors.

NHS England says its plan will free up 15m GP appointments over the next two years - around 2% of the total.

But some are concerned about how pharmacies will cope with extra demand.

Data shows there are now fewer local chemists than at any time since 2015. Rising operational costs, staff shortages and reduced government financial support have been blamed.

Pharmacists warn that many more local businesses could close without help.

cont https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-65488030

[SteveH]

NHS Strikes: Unison NHS Wales staff vote to accept pay offer
Published
17 hours ago

NHS workers in Wales belonging to the Unison union have voted to accept the latest Welsh government pay offer.

The offer consisted of a 5% wage increase and an additional one-off payment for 2022-23, worth between ?900 and ?1,190.

However, the Royal College of Nurses (RCN) Wales voted to reject the latest offer earlier this week.

The union said although the offer had been accepted it would not solve "significant workforce issues".

The offer is in addition to an earlier one-off payment of 1.5% of their annual salary from the Welsh government in February.

Unison members accept Scottish government pay deal
Nurses in Wales set to strike again in summer
Nurses offered one-off payment to end pay strikes
The lowest paid workers in NHS Wales will receive an annual salary of ?22,720, with the new hourly rate of pay rising from ?10.90 to ?11.62, the union said.

Jess Turner, of Unison Cymru, said: "Of course, NHS staff want and deserve more, but they've opted to accept this offer and the certainty it brings them.

"The most pressing is tackling the growing staffing emergency and health worker burnout.

"NHS staff have told us they need money in their pockets now to deal with the worsening cost-of-living crisis.

"If this deal goes through NHS staff will receive their pay rise much sooner than in previous years. This sets an expectation for the way NHS pay is approached in future in Wales," she said.

The union said 78% of members voted to accept the Welsh government's offer.

Other health unions in Wales are also consulting their members on the offer.

They will discuss their results later this month ahead of a meeting with the Welsh government.

cont https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-65574633

[SteveH]

Bed spaces at Rhyl?s Royal Alexandra Hospital should be reinstated to help ease bed blocking at Ysbyty Glan Clwyd, says a concerned councillor. At a Denbighshire County Council meeting this week, Cllr Brian Jones tabled a motion, proposing that the authority takes advice from a group known as the ?Alex Angels?.

The Alex Angels is a small group of retired medical professionals who originally trained at the Royal Alexander Hospital. Cllr Jones says the Alex Angels have decades of experience working within the health service in North Wales and believes they can help the current situation.

The Rhyl councillor wants the authority to pressure Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board to conduct a feasibility study, looking at restoring bed spaces at the Rhyl hospital. The motion was backed by an online petition with over 700 signatures, calling for bed spaces to be reinstated at the hospital on Marine Drive.

cont https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/community-hospital-beds-should-reinstated-26905050?IYA-reg=49560bcd-5a9c-47f0-8fc5-ba2e71710589

[Ian]

Bed blocking continues to present the NHS with its most pressing issues. Of course, creating a service to replace BB will take money, so what chance of that with the current government?

[SteveH]

NHS Wales: Healthcare apps trialled to ease pressure

Healthcare apps are being used across Wales to help reduce pressure on NHS frontline services.

Hospital visits should decrease as patients receive care at home in a timely manner, according to health professionals.

Nurse Paige Calved said the technology means patients get specialised care quicker.

The Welsh government said it's invested ?65m in digital health and social care services since 2019.

cont https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-65600040

[SteveH]

Decision not to push for study into return of beds at North Wales hospital slammed
Last week Cllr Brian Jones argued the move could help relieve bed blocking issues

A decision by Denbighshire County Council not to push for a feasibility study into reinstating beds at Rhyl?s Alexander Hospital has been criticised by an outspoken councillor. Last week Cllr Brian Jones put forward a motion proposing the council ask the health board to consider using the Royal Alexander to relieve bed blocking.

The Conservative councillor put forward the motion, arguing using the Rhyl hospital to treat "frail" patients could free up beds at Ysbyty Glan Clwyd. The council agreed to talk to a group of retired professionals known as the Alex Angels about the future of the Rhyl hospital but rejected talk of attempting to persuade Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board to reinstate beds at the Marine Drive hospital.

cont https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/decision-not-push-study-return-26925929?IYA-reg=49560bcd-5a9c-47f0-8fc5-ba2e71710589

[SteveH]

Someone is using their head for a change........

Visitors to the seaside are being targeted in an urgent bid to recruit nurses for a local hospital. In April, Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board closed the inpatient ward at Tywyn Hospital because of unsafe staffing levels and patients were transferred to Dolgellau.

The move was criticised by local politicians and councillors who urged the board to restore the service as soon as possible. In a report to this week?s board meeting the interim chief executive Carol Shillabee, who is standing in for Gill Harris, who is off sick at present, says: ?Immediate actions to enhance recruitment in the South Meirionnydd area include the use of recruitment banners, leaflets and postcards which have been developed to advertise posts and target those visiting the area.

https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/health-board-targets-tourists-bid-26967337

[SteveH]

A senior official from a troubled and heavily criticised north Wales health board has moved to a new job representing NHS organisations.
Sue Green, former executive director of workforce and planning, is now director of NHS Wales Employers.

She resigned from Betsi Cadwaladr shortly before an audit report said the executive team there was dysfunctional.

A senior Conservative strongly objected to the move. Ms Green has declined to comment.

Darren Millar, of the Welsh Conservatives, questioned how Ms Green could be in a senior Welsh NHS role following the recent findings, and said she had been part of a dysfunctional executive team that "let down patients".

Plaid Cymru's Rhun ap Iorwerth said the news was "strange" and warned against a "revolving door" of people from failing organisations taking jobs elsewhere in the NHS.
cont https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-65399696


Work pressures are driving thousands of nurses and midwives a year away from the profession, the regulator says.
The Nursing and Midwifery Council said retention was becoming a major concern despite an overall growth in the register.

Its annual report found 27,000 professionals had left the register in the UK in the year to the end of March.

While retirement appeared to be the most common reason for leaving, health and exhaustion were cited as the next.
cont https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-65687230