Robert Lloyd - a Sir Gar Blog of random news . . . and some Clecs!

The latest statement from the Hywel Dda University Health Board regarding the Andrews Medical Practice in Llanelli is here - Patients registered with Andrews Medical Practice in Llanelli will soon be allocated a new GP surgery following the decision of the Service provider to return its GMS contract to the Health Board. Hywel Dda University Health Board can confirm that the Practice will cease to provide GMS services from 31 May 2017, following the decision by the Rosedale Medical Group. Patients currently registered at the Practice will be automatically registered with another Practice locally. The Health Board is working closely with neighbouring GPs and the Community Health Council, and patients will receive an individual letter within the next few days. There is no need for patients to do anything at this current time, as services will continue to be provided from Andrews Medical Practice up until the 31 May 2017. Jill Paterson, Interim Director of Primary Care, said: “This proces...

Could you spare a few hours each week to help bring a little comfort to hospital patients? Volunteering for Health, Hywel Dda University Health Board’s volunteering scheme, are seeking to recruit volunteers to help maintain shop trolley services in Glangwili and Prince Phillip Hospitals. The service is looking for volunteers between the hours of 8.30am to 12.30pm from Monday to Friday. Volunteers will be required to deliver shop goods to inpatients, and also load/ unload the trolley. David Fretwell, Head of Volunteering Services said: “The much loved trolley services in our acute Carmarthenshire hospitals rely on the help of volunteers, and provides inpatients with access to home comforts such as newspapers, confectionery and toiletries. “We’re keen to hear from anyone who can spare a few hours a week to help others. “Volunteering for Health not only benefits our patients, but also the volunteers themselves, who find it rewarding and helps them to gain experience for their future care...

The Actif Holiday Club has a wide range of activities at local leisure centres to keep youngsters occupied during half term in Carmarthenshire. The club is aimed at children aged 8-12 years and offers a chance to take part in a wide range of fun activities including snorkelling, kayaking, netball, den building, arts and crafts plus much more. The fun packed programme, delivered by highly trained leaders takes place from next Monday to Friday (February 20–24) at Carmarthen, Llanelli, Amman Valley and Newcastle Emlyn Leisure Centres. Holiday activities at St Clears Leisure Centre takes place on Tuesday and Thursday only. For a full timetable of activities and to book visit www.actifsirgar.co.uk/children Bookings can also be made directly by contacting the local Leisure Centre. Carmarthen Leisure Centre – 01267 224700; Llanelli Leisure Centre – 01554 774757; Amman Valley Leisure Centre – 01269 594517; St Clears Leisure Centre – 01267 224; and Newcastle Emlyn – 01267 224731. Carmarthen...

Bronglais Hospital has become the first in Wales to provide a training programme for Physician Associates, who are trained to support doctors in the diagnosis and management of patients. In association with Birmingham University, Bronglais has taken Physician Associates in psychiatry, general medicine, paediatrics, maternity, gynaecology, general surgery and accident and emergency. Hywel Dda University Health Board has been working with Powys Teaching Health Board through the Mid Wales Healthcare Collaborative to provide clinical placements in primary and secondary care. The health board is currently arranging placement opportunities within Bronglais Hospital and GP surgeries after qualification, and expects these new members of the medical workforce to make a positive contribution to the way in which clinical services are delivered. Physician Associates are trained to perform a number of roles such as taking medical histories, performing examinations, analysing test results, and dia...

Hywel Dda University Health Board and the Welsh Government have thanked local NHS staff for sharing their views as part of the NHS Wales staff survey, published today. Lisa Gostling, Director of Workforce & Organisational Development, Hywel Dda University Health Board and Wendy Evans, Chair of Hywel Dda University Health Board Partnership Forum commented: “We are immensely proud of all our staff in Hywel Dda and everything they do to deliver the best patient care possible for our local population. “We thank those staff who, despite working under pressure, still found the time to complete this important survey - we are listening to what they tell us and will take action to address those areas where we need to do better.” Some of the key findings include: - 67% say that if a friend or relative needed treatment, they would be happy with the standard of care provided by the organisation, compared to 49% in 2013. - 75% of staff say that the care of patients/service users is their organi...

The introduction of an occupational therapist to the team at Argyle Medical Group (Pembroke Dock) has been featured in a national report celebrating the value of innovative occupational therapy services. The report, Reducing the Pressure on Hospitals: A Report on the Value of Occupational Therapy in Wales, illustrates how shifting occupational therapy resource to the front line of care to A&E departments, primary care and in the community, can play a vital role in reducing hospital admissions in Wales. Working in partnership with Hywel Dda UHB’s Occupational Therapy Team, the introduction of an occupational therapist at the Pembroke Dock GP practice has provided this vital service as a proactive and alternative way of caring for the practice’s known frail, older patients in the community. Claire Sims, Interim Head of Occupational Therapy for Hywel Dda UHB and Pembrokeshire County Council, explains: “Occupational therapy provides support to people whose health or disability pr...

Opening hours at Withybush Paediatric Ambulatory Care Unit will be changed to 10am-6pm from Monday December 5. The move comes following a decision, taken in the interests of patient safety due to a shortage of consultant paediatricians, by Hywel Dda University Health Board last week. Referrals to PACU can continue to be made up until 6pm, after which necessary discharges or transfers to Glangwili Hospital when an overnight stay in hospital is required will be made. Deputy Chief Executive and Director of Operations Joe Teape explained: “We are carefully planning this temporary change and will be spending a lot of time during the coming days finalising the activation plan and making sure that all our staff, GPs, including out-of-hours, and partners such as the Welsh Ambulance Services Trust and NHS Direct are aware and are able to appropriately advise and assist children and their families.” A task and finish group with clinicians and managers is also being set up to closely monitor the ...

People aged 65 or over are being advised to get vaccinated against influenza (‘flu’) soon for best protection this winter. Flu can be very serious for older people, and the annual ‘Beat Flu’ immunisation programme is now underway throughout Wales, encouraging individuals most at risk of serious complications from flu to get protected with a free flu vaccination. As well as older people this also includes pregnant women and those with certain long term health conditions as these groups are at high risk of complications if they catch flu. Older people, and the carers of those whose health may be at risk if the carer becomes ill, are being advised about the dangers of flu with a clear message from Public Health Wales to “Beat flu before it beats you!” Last year in Wales around a third of the people in Wales aged 65 and over missed out on getting their flu vaccine. Ian Thomas, Chief Executive of the older people’s charity Age Cymru, said: “As part of our annual Spread the Warmth campaign, ...

A Carmarthenshire mum-to-be has been supporting the Beat Flu campaign by encouraging expectant mothers to protect themselves and their little ones from the seasonal virus. Bancyfelin resident, Mrs Lisa Wilson, who is expecting her second baby, has been speaking of her reasons to take part in Hywel Dda University Health Board’s annual flu campaign. Lisa, who is one of thousands of women across Wales to receive the vaccination this year, said: “I decided that I wanted to get the flu jab while I was pregnant with my first child because I wanted to protect my baby as well as myself. Now that I’m expecting again, I know how important it is to get it done. "Catching flu can be serious because it can lead to complications in pregnant women and other at-risk groups, and like any mother, I’ll do anything I can do to stop it from spreading and harming my children. "There are many myths around how safe the vaccine is, but there’s no evidence that it causes mothers or their babies any h...

Members of Hywel Dda University Health Board will discuss temporary changes to the opening hours of the Paediatric Ambulatory Care Unit (PACU) at Withybush Hospital, whilst there are fewer consultant paediatricians available, at a full health board meeting on Thursday November 24. The issue has emerged due to a combination of long standing difficulties in recruiting paediatric consultants across the UK and an exacerbation locally due to the coinciding retirement of one Pembrokeshire paediatric consultant, along with maternity leave of another. Doctors, nurses, hospital managers and the Executive Team have been in discussion about how to best serve children and families in Pembrokeshire by doing all that is possible to maintain the Paediatric Ambulatory Care Unit (PACU) at Withybush Hospital whilst there are fewer consultant paediatricians available. To do nothing is a risk. The health board’s prolonged attempts at substantive and locum recruitment have been unsuccessful and agency cons...

Service users, partners and health care staff recently came together to discuss how improved and more accessible mental health services can be provided across Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire in the future. The discussions took place in a workshop setting with a focus on options for developing a new mental health service model in Hywel Dda University Health Board area. The event is the latest step in an ongoing period of engagement to work together and achieve the vision for a modern community mental health service that is accessible 24 hours a day; has no waiting lists; moves away from inpatient hospital admission and treatment to hospitality and ‘time out’, and provides day ‘time out’ and opportunities. The mental health needs of our society have changed significantly over the last decade. Advances in treatment options have seen many people who have previously required hospital care being supported to remain in their communities, supported by their friends and famil...

Patients living in the Carmarthenshire area are being advised of temporary changes to the GP Out-of-Hours telephone service from next week. Due to a change in contract provision, from November 14, anyone who phones the Out-of-Hours service will have their call managed by a different team. The Hywel Dda University Health Board would like to reassure patients that there will be very little difference other than the greeting on the initial telephone message. Patients are advised to ring their surgery number as normal if they need urgent health care support outside of normal surgery working hours, and they will be put through to Care on Call. For further information to the GP Out-of-Hours service visit http://www.wales.nhs.uk/sitesplus/862/page/41913

Hywel Dda University Health Board is restating its commitment to maintain the current opening hours of the Paediatric Ambulatory Care Unit (PACU) at Withybush Hospital from 10am-10pm, as they are now - although it is facing renewed and significant workforce challenges at consultant level. There are long standing difficulties in recruiting paediatric consultants across the UK, and there are vacancies in all Hywel Dda hospitals, with continued efforts to recruit into them. There is a particular problem in Pembrokeshire during the next few months as a retirement, maternity leave and annual leave requirement coincide. PACU at Withybush Hosital, in Haverfordwest, is currently open 10am – 10pm and remains open as usual this week. The University Health Board is reassuring local families that they can continue to access services as they do now and need make no changes to how they access care. The health board has appointed a temporary locum consultant, and continues to try to attract more...

Glangwili Hospital in Carmarthen is seeing high volumes of very unwell patients in its Emergency Department and is taking all action possible to ensure patients are provided with the care they need. The hospital, like all others in Wales, saw high volumes of emergency patients during the weekend, many of which had complex health needs and required emergency hospital admission. Hywel Dda University Health Board is taking all actions, in line with its winter plan, to ensure that patients get the care they urgently need. This has included ensuring full staffing levels are maintained, discharging any patients that do not need hospital treatment in a timely fashion, and postponing some non-emergency operations. Carmarthenshire County Director Linda Williams explained: “It has been particularly busy this weekend, with lots of attendees arriving by ambulance and needing admission to hospital. Monday night in particular was very busy and people had to wait longer than usual. "Our front...

A celebratory event to mark the success of a project aimed at improving population health by promoting health and wellbeing in primary care settings has been held in Carmarthen. Hywel Dda University Health Board’s Public Health team marked the success of the Lifestyle Advocates: Promoting Health in Practice project with a special ceremony at St Peter’s Civic Hall, Nott Square. The Lifestyle Advocates project is a development programme, carried out in conjunction between public health and primary care, and aims to enable enthusiastic individuals to become skilled Advocates for healthier lives and promote wellbeing and prevention in their settings. More than 30 primary care staff have taken part in this new, innovative programme; gaining confidence in how to raise and discuss health promoting life changes and linking with local support groups and services. They have reported changing their own health behaviour as well as supporting patients to live healthier lives. The Cluster areas ...

A Carmarthen farmer has been prosecuted for moving cattle while his farm was under TB restrictions. David Grant Hartman pleaded guilty at Llanelli Magistrates Court on Friday to four offences under the TB (Wales) Order 2010 in a prosecution brought by Carmarthenshire County Council. The court was told that Mr Hartman’s farm, Trebersed Farm at Travellers Rest, was put under TB restrictions which are supposed to prevent the movement of cattle onto or off a farm. These restrictions are put in place to reduce the potential of the spread of TB and to reduce existing breakdowns. Despite these restrictions the defendant moved dairy cows onto his farm on three separate occasions. The investigation also discovered that cows declared as inconclusive reactors, animals that tests had neither confirmed to have TB nor shown to be free of TB, which must be isolated from the rest of the herd, had not been isolated as required. Mr Hartman said that he had been under financial pressures and had brough...

Students and members of the public in Carmarthenshire and Ceredigion are being invited to a careers event in Newcastle Emlyn next week to find out more about the range of careers within Hywel Dda University Health Board – as well as what it’s like to work in the NHS. Approximately 30 health board departments - together with representatives from the University of South Wales and Swansea University - will be represented at the careers fair, which will be held at Newcastle Emlyn Leisure Centre between 9am and 5pm on Thursday 3 November. Staff from the health board’s resourcing department will also be attending and will be available to answer any questions about applying for jobs, while the health board will also be running separate morning and afternoon sessions on how to complete applications forms, interview techniques, and a workshop on what it’s like to be a nurse in the NHS. Lesley Oldale, Future Workforce Officer at Hywel Dda, said: “Hywel Dda wants to highlight the huge range of ca...

Staff and patients have been celebrating real life superheroes in children’s wards and units at Bronglais, Glangwili and Withybush Hospitals. A huge range of activities have taken place during National Play in Hospital Week, from colouring competitions, poster displays, parties and shows to visits from other real life heroes, such as the fire service and police. It was all organised by Hywel Dda University Health Board staff, children and families. Photos from Bronglais, Glangwili and Withybush Hospitals.

Local fundraisers and key stakeholders came together to hear the latest progress on plans for a new Specialist Palliative Care, Haematology and Oncology Ward (formerly known as Ward 10) at Withybush Hospital, Haverfordwest. Hywel Dda University Health Board, in partnership with its stakeholders, is preparing the detailed plans for the multi-million pounds development. The new facilities will strengthen services and provide a better environment for patients locally, through modern, purpose-built areas which are dementia friendly, supporting those with bariatric requirements and with improved facilities for relatives. It is hoped the development will also encourage appointment to key posts within the hospital. Dr Iain Robertson-Steel, Hospital Director at Withybush said: “We are making good progress in bringing together all the necessary plans and documentation for the development and have recently shared detailed layout plans with staff, stakeholders and the public. We will shortly b...

Advice and tips on living a healthy lifestyle are being shared with young people across Carmarthenshire. An annual youth conference is taking place on Thursday, November 3, from 9.30am to 2.30pm at Ffos Las Racecourse on the Well-being of Future Generations Act. Carmarthenshire Youth Council is organising the event and inviting all young people aged between 11 and 25 to go along. Young people from schools, colleges and community projects will have the opportunity to attend workshops, share views and information on healthy and happy living. There will be a number of different organisations at the conference that will have stands on education, health services and the environment and provide information, freebies, and advice on any queries. The conference is free but limited spaces are available, for more information or to book a place visit www.youthsirgar.org.uk/youthconference/ or contact Carmarthenshire County Council youth worker Sarah Powell on 01267 246435 email info@carmart...