MS welcomes increased role for hospital
NEWS that Maesteg Hospital is to have an increased role in providing healthcare services for the whole of Bridgend has been welcomed by regional MS Suzy Davies.
The Bridgend area committee of the Cwm Taf Morgannwg Community Health Council was told by Interim Operations Manager Carl Verrecchia that the hospital was a “gem” which would take a leading role in the provision of many different services to people not just in Maesteg but over a wider area.
Welsh Conservative Mrs Davies, who backed residents in their fight to retain the Day Hospital at the site last year, said that this is great news.
She said: “Maesteg Hospital is indeed a jewel in our crown locally and the Maesteg people know it. They have fought to ensure its survival over many years and have seen bed numbers decrease and some services taken away.
“But Cwm Taf Morgannwg has a much better track record in protecting its small community hospitals than the old Abertawe Bro Morgannwg health board ever did. This was the health board that closed down small hospitals including Maesgwyn in Bryncethin, Fairwood in Gower and Cimla in Neath.
“So the re-organisation of health board boundaries last year which took Maesteg out of the control of ABMu and brought it under the jurisdiction of CTMu may well turn out to be very beneficial for this hospital and its future.
“Maesteg Hospital was built by the miners and its first patients were wounded soldiers when it opened during the Great War. Long before the advent of the NHS in 1948, this hospital was pivotal in the provision of health services to the people of the valley.
“Now, at the start of the 21st century it is good to see it playing a leading role again in providing care for the community.
“The health board has already updated the X-Ray equipment at the hospital which is good news as this department provides a safety valve to relieve pressure on the main radiology department at the Princess of Wales Hospital.”
Extra outpatient clinics planned for the hospital include Opthalmology, Heart Failure, Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and others. A new board and steering group will be established to turn the hospital into a WellBeing centre as part of a three year project.