Health correspopdent looks at all the different types of challenges being faced by staff across the healthcare sector
STAFF in the Welsh NHS and the private sector are carrying out high-quality care day in, day out. They work in busy, often very difficult circumstances to ensure patients are given the best chance of making a swift recovery.
The public should be proud of the outstanding, sometimes remarkable work they undertake, as well as the pioneering research taking place to prevent the spread of disease, illness and infection.
But the challenges our healthcare service is currently facing in keeping us safe and well are astronomical.
Firstly, we can’t look beyond the fact that our population is ageing and living with a whole range of complex and chronic conditions.
As a result, the number of GP appointments, hospital visits and emergency admissions is on the rise year-on-year.
This is leading to a drop in the number of available beds, longer delays in getting operations carried out and blockages at the front door of A&E.
And sadly, despite encouraging recruitment campaigns by health boards and the Welsh Government, there remain a significant number of vacant positions in nursing, midwifery and consultant-led care to name but a few.
The pressures they are under has led to a rise in sickness rates, particularly in acute settings like the ambulance service, and a dip in morale in some areas.
But in addition to the problems we have closer to home, there remain significant global health challenges which also threaten to endanger lives.
The overuse of antibiotics is affecting their ability to fight against harmful bacteria.
It means there is now a growing list of infections – such as pneumonia, tuberculosis, blood poisoning and gonorrhoea – which have become harder, and sometimes impossible, to treat with antibiotics.
We also have the crucial issue of air pollution which claims the lives of thousands of people in Wales each year.
A report last year by the British Lung Foundation (BLF) found that 57 health centres across Wales, including three hospitals, were exceeding World Health Organisation (WHO) pollution limits.
And let’s not forget the small matter of the obesity crisis which is projected to overtake smoking as our biggest public health challenge.
However, these are not problems which are being swept under the carpet.
Concerted efforts are being made to address all of the above concerns, whether that’s through legislation, public awareness campaigns or hard-hitting stories in the media.
Whether or not they are effective, on the other hand, is another matter.
And as a society we also have a responsibility to take care of ourselves and each other through healthy living, eating and exercise.
This monumental task cannot be left to the health professionals to address alone.