THE DAY THE DRAGON’S HEART OPENED
STADIUM OPENS FOR ITS FIRST CORONAVIRUS PATIENTS
THE temporary hospital at the Principality Stadium – Ysbyty Calon y Ddraig/Dragon’s Heart Hospital – will officially open today, marking the latest step in the bid to tackle the coronavirus pandemic.
Ysbyty Calon Y Ddraig is the largest temporary hospital in Wales and the second largest in the UK, and has been created to cope with the increased demand for beds the Covid-19 pandemic has seen.
The opening comes as the number of people who have died after contracting coronavirus in Wales has reached a total of 575, after 41 more deaths were confirmed yesterday.
A total of 7,270 people have tested positive for Covid-19 after a further 334 cases were announced.
Across the UK, a total of 16,060 patients have died in hospital with the virus as of Saturday afternoon, up by 596 on the previous day’s figures.
The Dragon’s Heart Hospital has been funded by the Welsh Government to support the communities of Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan as well as, potentially, other health boards.
Following today’s opening ceremony the temporary hospital will soon be admitting its first patients and will be a “step-up and step down” facility.
It will provide beds for patients who are coming to the end of their treatment of the virus and require rehabilitation and support as part of their recovery.
Sadly, the hospital will also provide end-of-life palliative care for some patients.
On-site facilities include mobile X-ray, CT scanners, a pharmacy and an end-of-life pathway of care for people in the last weeks or days of their life. In the adjacent Cardiff Blues Stadium there will be a Staff Haven rest area and a reception area for relatives.
Three hundred beds have already been made available and the rest of the beds will be available as soon as possible.
The official opening will be marked by Prince Charles, who will attend by video link, and will be hosted by Welsh rugby player Dr Jamie Roberts, who has returned to the medical frontline to help the efforts to tackle Covid-19.
The hospital – a collaboration between Cardiff and Vale University Health Board and the WRU, Cardiff Council, Cardiff Blues and the Principality Stadium – answers the need for additional bed space needed to accommodate patients within the health board area. It will allow other hospital sites to free up capacity and be able to treat patients with other health conditions.
Cardiff and Vale University Health Board chief executive Len Richards said: “The Principality Stadium embodies the heart and soul of the nation...
“The health board has never undertaken a project this big before and in such a short space of time.
“We are planning on the basis of what we think we might need to ensure we are as ready as we can be.
“I sincerely hope we don’t need to use all of the capacity, but it is far better to have developed plans based upon the scientific evidence and modelling of the experts.”
Health Minister Vaughan Gething said: “The sheer scale of effort that has gone into creating this incredible field hospital here in the heart of our capital city is nothing short of astonishing.
“This effort is being replicated across Wales, with capacity increasing from 10,000 beds to 17,000 in a matter of weeks.
“By ramping up the number of beds available in settings such as this, we can make sure there is capacity in our hospitals to care for those most in need during these extraordinary times.”
Plans for the official opening were revealed as the Welsh Government set out plans to “remove the bureaucracy” from the coronavirus testing system in the country.
Mr Gething said the plans would result in more critical workers being tested so they can return to work more quickly.
Plans include the military looking at operational processes to make the system quicker and more efficient, and an online booking system.
The cap on referrals of social workers per local authority will also be removed, and the referral process will also be reviewed.
“We are increasing our capacity for testing in Wales through our community testing units, the introduction of regional drive-in testing centres and, within weeks, an online home testing service,” Mr Gething said.
“As the daily number of tests have not been matching the capacity we’ve built up in Wales, I ordered a rapid review of the current system.
“The review has produced a number of recommendations to speed up the process of referring key workers for testing. I have accepted all of these to be implemented immediately.
“Today I have also published our critical worker testing policy outlining which workers will be tested and how.
“I want to see a rapid increase in testing of critical workers across Wales so they can return to work more quickly and have the confidence to carry out their work safely.
“Their contribution to stop the spread of coronavirus and keeping us all safe is invaluable.”
The Welsh Government had set a target of 5,000 tests per day by the second or third week of April, but this has not been reached.
Daily capacity is currently at 1,300 per day, with documents setting out the new plan admitting the 5,000 fig
ure would not be achieved by the third week of April.
It said it had “experienced a range of delays in securing some of the equipment and reagents for processing and running swab tests”.
Data published by Public Health Wales shows the number of daily tests are often well below the 1,300 capacity, with 783 carried out on Friday.
Adam Price, the leader of Plaid Cymru, said the Welsh Government would have to increase the number of daily tests by 45% every day this week to reach the target of 5,000 tests per day.
“Every day where the testing target is missed is another day lost in the fight against this pandemic,” Mr Price said.
“We need to see a dramatic increase in daily testing as a matter of absolute urgency. Failing for a third time is simply not an option.”
Angela Burns, shadow health minister for the Welsh Conservatives, welcomed the charges to testing processes but said there was “more to do”.
“Once these issues have been addressed and testing capacity eventually ramps up, it’s then important for testing to broaden and include population testing,” she said.
“No one yet knows how long Covid19 will be with us, and it is vital the Welsh Government raises its game.”
Meanwhile, Public Health Wales said the latest casualty figures for the nation, released yesterday, related to people who had a laboratory-confirmed case of Covid-19, with the majority of deaths occurring in hospital settings and some in care homes.
By health board area, the deaths were located as follows: 195 in Aneurin Bevan, 137 in Cardiff and Vale, 136 in Cwm Taf Morgannwg and 93 in Swansea Bay. The 14 other deaths were in three health board areas –
Betsi Cadwaladr, Hywel Dda and Powys – that have seen a “very small” number of fatalities.
Dr Robin Howe, Incident Director for the Covid-19 outbreak response at Public Health Wales, said: “Public Health Wales continues to fully support the extension of lockdown measures, which is essential to avoid reversing the gains we have made in slowing the spread of this virus, protecting our NHS, and saving lives.
“Covid-19 is still circulating in every part of Wales, and the single most important action we can all take in fighting the virus is to stay at home. We want to thank each and every person across Wales for doing their bit to help slow the spread of the virus.
“While emphasising the importance of staying at home, we also want to reinforce the message from NHS Wales that urgent and emergency care services for physical and mental health are still open and accessible.
“For parents, if your child is unwell and you are concerned, you should seek help. If you have urgent dental pain you should still call your dentist. If you have a health complaint that is worrying you and won’t go away you should call your GP practice. If you or a family member are seriously ill or injured you should dial 999 or attend your nearest Emergency Department.
“Public Health Wales is working with our partners in Welsh Government, the wider NHS in Wales, the other UK nations and others to monitor and respond to the spread n Wales.
“This includes working with Welsh Government on its review of testing and we welcome its latest recommendations in the critical workers testing policy, published today. It is vital to ensure we test the right people, at the right time, in the right place, to reduce the spread of Covid-19.”