Health centre relocation plans to boost community wellbeing
AN OUTDATED health centre could be relocated as part of plans to improve the wellbeing of residents living in a remote community in the Afan Valley.
Officials are looking at ways to improve access to and the quality of healthcare delivery in Cymmer, where a local health centre is reported to be below modern standards.
Swansea Bay University Health Board (SBUHB) and Neath Port Talbot Council are looking at either relocating or refurbishing Cymmer Health Centre and improving the carriageway adjacent to Cymmer Viaduct.
A report by council officers states that the health centre, which is run by SBUHB, is “meeting operational standards” but “does not meet the standards and accommodation requirements of modern healthcare” and is “difficult” to access.
There are currently two GP practices and a dental practice in the
Upper Afan Valley that are housed in 40-year-old buildings that are “no longer fit for purpose and need considerable investment”, the report states.
On top of these issues, the area is experiencing “an ageing population with more complex health needs” and is home to communities that are “amongst the poorest and most disadvantaged in Wales”.
The report also states the “illhealth” of locals is “a significant issue”. More than a third of residents in the Upper Afan Valley have a limiting long-term illness and life expectancy is among the shortest in the UK at 74.8 years – almost three years younger than the Welsh average.
Officers are proposing to relocate the health centre to a location yet to be decided and carry out a joined highways project. Alternatively, the centre could remain where it is and be refurbished, with highways works carried out separately.
Their report states Cymmer is located “on the side of a steep valley” and the health centre sits on higher ground than surrounding areas, making it hard to reach by car or on foot. Few residents use cars and public transport and active travel links are “very poor”.
Cymmer Viaduct, the main access route for heavy vehicles to local villages Abercregan and Glyncorrwg, is deteriorating and likely to be irreparable. A weight limit was imposed on the Grade II-listed structure in 1999 and the concrete has since deteriorated further, with the council deeming it “at risk of structural collapse”.
Despite this, heavy vehicles continue to use the route illegally, according to research by council officers, who are proposing to improve the carriageway adjacent to the viaduct, giving better access for large vehicles into the community.
The carriageway is described by officers as “extremely steep with very tight hairpin bends”, which makes it hard for lorries and buses to navigate. Consequently, vehicles over 18 tonnes sometimes take up the whole carriageway, which is “extremely dangerous”.
Council officers recommend the route be widened to allow better access into the Upper Afan Valley.
Council officers think the centre should be relocated as it would be the most “cost-effective” approach and cause “less disruption in the community”.
The council’s cabinet is due to discuss whether to move ahead with plans to relocate or refurbish the centre and improve nearby highways on Wednesday, June 30.
If the projects move ahead, separate public consultations must be held alongside each other. The Welsh Government has granted capital funding for the highway improvements and the council will need to find further capital funding for the new health centre project.