£1.4million investment to improve services at Prince Philip Hospital, Llanelli

Prince Philip Hospital, Llanelli, will receive £1.4million investment to improve services for people needing emergency medical and other unscheduled care.
Doctors and clinical staff, working alongside community representatives, including Hywel Dda Community Health Council, Llanelli Rural Council and lobby groups such as the Committee for Improving Hospital Services CIHS/SOSPPAN, were delighted to hear the news at a recent meeting.
Hywel Dda University Health Board will make the investment from its discretionary capital budget whilst at the same time putting together a business case to the Welsh Government, which if successful, would effectively reimburse the money.
The Front of House project focus’ on six different areas of care – substance misuse, frailty, mental health, acute medicine, minor illnesses and minor injuries.
The aim is to ensure that people come into the hospital and see the best person to provide them with definitive treatment as quickly as possible.
Medical lead Dr Sian Lewis said: “Creation of a new ‘front door’ will provide direct admission to the Acute Medical Assessment unit when patients are referred by a GP or arrive by ambulance. This will mean we can deliver improvements to unscheduled care by reducing assessment times and allowing quicker access to a senior consultant for the sickest of our patients.”
A new unscheduled care GP Dr Meinir Jones, dedicated to the project, has already started work on the site, working closely with other GPs as well as current staff in the A&E and medical admissions unit.
Speaking at the meeting of the project and stakeholder group, Helen Williams from Hywel Dda Community Health Council said: “I can honestly say that this project has been clinically and not management led and I think that is why it has been so successful. It will be a first class service for the people of Llanelli.”
Chairman of campaign group CIHS Bryan Hitchman added: “It’s a precursor to what I think many other hospitals will be looking towards doing. The days of the old district general hospitals with consultant surgeons who treat everything under the sun, those days are gone. I think we have to accept that now and I hope some of the sceptics will accept that. It’s good practice which I think will be adopted by the NHs and give the people of Llanelli what we asked for – a front of house service where patients can be put on the right pathway to see a consultant, nurse, triage or go home.”
Mark Galbraith from Llanelli Rural Council said: “It’s been a privilege to serve on the project board to observe the ground breaking work being developed by the team of clinicians supporting Prince Philip Hospital. They deserve a lot of credit for this. The pathways developed for patient care are to be commended and I have no doubt they will be emulated by other hospitals and Health Boards across Wales, in the near future. It is reassuring the reconfiguration of front line services will help safeguard the hospital’s future, hopefully for many years to come. This is excellent news for the hospital and the public who value you it so much.”
It is hoped that work on site could begin as early as Autumn 2015, for the project, which does not increase the footprint of the hospital but will make changes and improvements to the current building.

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