James Evans MS attended the Public Meeting in Brecon last night (29/08/2024), where locals voiced their concerns over the proposed cuts to MIU opening times and the downgrading of Llewelyn Ward in Bronllys Hospital.
James said:
“It was great to see the show of strength from the community. We have seen the gradual withdrawal of services, most recently with the closure of Crug Ward and now yet more cuts again. The public were clear that they want more services here not less. The justification put forward by the Health Board did not convince me or anyone else that this is the right course of action to take. They say they want a “reliable” service but there is nothing reliable about being closed every night!
“In a recent response back from the Health Board, they confirm they are still in the process of carrying out an impact assessment on these changes! They also provided statistics on MIU activity but I am querying this data as it does not account for people who arrive at MIU only to be sent onto A&E, those that phone for advice, or those turning up when the unit has been closed due to staffing. Neither does it distinguish activity before midnight and after midnight.
“It was discussed how people phoning 111 for advice are referred to A&E but not to MIUs when in many cases, it would be more appropriate to be seen locally. Emergency Nurse Practitioners have so many skills and experiences and they could be doing so much more if the Health Board allowed. We need to ‘grow our own clinical staff here in the County, with local people being trained and supported on a career transition path.
“The Health Board’s written response also confirms that if these proposed changes are to be approved by the Board on the 10th October, they will come into effect by early November. The Health Board have extended their consultation exercise for a further two weeks until mid-September and I urge everyone, if not already done so, to go online and have your say and give feedback. The Health Board must listen and look at increasing service levels not cutting them."
