Health board postpones all non-urgent surgery

A HEALTH board which treats thousands of patients across south Wales has postponed all its non-urgent surgery this week to concentrate on emergency cases.

Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University (ABMU) Health Board said its hospitals were “very busy” at the moment and needed to prioritise the sickest patients.

Meanwhile, Cwm Taf University Health Board has also had to postpone six elective orthopaedic procedures over the past week.

It follows concerns from the Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM) which suggested Wales’ A&E departments are struggling to cope this winter.

A spokeswoman for ABMU said: “We are having to concentrate on treating emergency cases and the sickest patients who need to come in for their planned operations.

“This means however that most of our routine planned surgery this week has had to be postponed (this is in line with our winter pressures management plan).

“We are very aware of the inconvenience this causes patients. We apologise and thank them for their understanding and patience. We will reschedule their operations as soon as possible .”

ABMU Health Board says it will be informing all patients who are affected by the cancellations.

The spokeswoman added: “This will likely be at short notice, and again, we ask them to bear with us. Please avoid ringing to check as we may not have that information because of the ongoing pressures of the situation.”

ABMU covers Swansea, Bridgend and Neath Port Talbot.