‘People power victorious’ as A&E unit saved from closure
THE Royal Glamorgan Hospital’s 24 hour A&E has been saved after the health board approved keeping it open.
Cwm Taf Morgannwg Health Board members voted unanimously yesterday to drop proposals which could have seen it closed and turned into a minor injuries unit or seen a reduction in hours for the department.
The future of the department had been under threat due to a lack of consultants leading to safety concerns about it which prompted a proposal to downgrade the hospital under the South Wales Programme.
But following a massive public campaign against the closure and significant progress in recruiting consultants and middle grade doctors, the 24-hour A&E department at the Llantrisant based hospital has been saved.
Dr Nick Lyons, the medical director at the health board, told board members he was “very pleased” to be able to bring the recommendations to the board and thanked everyone involved for their hard work in getting to this point.
He said progress has been made in recruitment and the leadership team and that they had listened to the real life experiences of local people to inform their options and models of care.
The hospital now has two consultants including the clinical lead and seven middle grade substantive doctors which Dr Lyons said is the “backbone” of care in the department.
He said the Covid-19 pandemic has helped them develop new models of care and that there is now a “tangible” focus on team working the department.
Dr Lyons also mentioned the partnership work with the other A&Es in the area and said that “safety concerns have significantly diminished” but said there is still lots of work to do.
A partnership panel will also be set up so the health board can work with the local community on developing services.
Professor Marcus Longley said: “This really is a transformation. For five or six years a shadow has hung over the A&E. It feels like a new chapter.” He said that the health board now faces a big responsibility saying “we must not fall into a situation that gives people false hope”.
He added that there is lots of work that needs to be done and the board will keep a close eye on things but that they can allow themselves to be “cautiously optimistic”.
Len Arthur, the chair of the Save Royal Glamorgan A&E (SRGAE) campaign group, said: “We are delighted that the board members have recognised the terrible impact the downgrade of the Royal Glamorgan A&E department would have had on local people. We hope this decision now closes a dark chapter and ushers in a new, brighter one.”
As far as a partnership panel is concerned, he said: “We have said that we are prepared to work with the board on terms of reference and its membership.
“If that is acceptable we would be prepared to participate.”
Diane Blackmore, vice chair of SRGAE, said: “The panel for us would be a way of monitoring and stopping any backsliding or stealth cuts.
“We also need to ensure that its terms of reference are not just about implementing board decisions, but testing ideas and setting agendas before they get that far.”
Sarah Davies, Unison’s Cwm Taf Morgannwg health branch chair, said, “Saving the Royal Glamorgan A&E is a tremendous victory and shows what ‘people power’ can achieve. Hospital staff and their unions were supported by local residents in their many hundreds at demonstrations and local politicians.
“There’s no doubt the complete opposition of health care workers to the plans was significant. Unison healthcare staff and ambulance workers campaigned vigorously to demonstrate the harm and risk to community health of service reduction, as well as the negative effect it would have on services at sister hospitals, Prince Charles Hospital and Princess of Wales Hospital.
“Local people have every right to be confident in their health services and that requires proper funding.”