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Hywel Dda hospital cardiac care services under discussion Hywel Dda hospital cardiac care services under discussion
(about 11 hours later)
Plans to shake-up cardiac services at four district hospitals in mid and west Wales will be discussed later following a critical review by a panel of UK leading heart specialists. A decision on plans to shake-up cardiac services at four district hospitals in mid and west Wales will not be made until November, says its health board.
The Royal College of Physicians has called for a specialist cardiac "hub" at Glangwili Hospital in Carmarthen.The Royal College of Physicians has called for a specialist cardiac "hub" at Glangwili Hospital in Carmarthen.
That could see the reduction of cardiac services at three other hospitals. But at a meeting on Thursday, the Hywel Dda University Health Board said it was awaiting results of a mid Wales study.
Hywel Dda University Health Board asked for the review amid concerns over cardiac care. It follows concerns raised about the impact for cardiac services at other hospitals run by the board.
The four hospitals at the centre of the review are Bronglais at Aberystwyth, Withybush at Haverfordwest, Glangwili at Carmarthen, and Prince Philip at Llanelli.The four hospitals at the centre of the review are Bronglais at Aberystwyth, Withybush at Haverfordwest, Glangwili at Carmarthen, and Prince Philip at Llanelli.
The review panel looked at a number of internal documents, including letters and emails and interviewed health board staff including cardiology consultants. The Royal College report in March recommended:
A report in March recommended:
The review said two cardiologists from separate hospitals independently raised concerns, referring to the "poor service patients are receiving".The review said two cardiologists from separate hospitals independently raised concerns, referring to the "poor service patients are receiving".
The most serious cases are treated at Morriston Hospital in Swansea - run by neighbouring Abertawe Bro Morgannwg Health Board - where consultants said they were concerned that patients returning to hospitals run by Hywel Dda may not get adequate follow-up treatment. Speaking after a health board meeting on Thursday, its medical director Dr Sue Fish said: "The university health board would like to make it absolutely clear that no final decisions about the service model for cardiology will be made until after the outcome of the mid Wales study.
Following publication of the report in March, Hywel Dda medical director Dr Sue Fish said a clinically-led project board was being set up to "discuss the report and its recommendations in detail, formulating an action plan as a matter of urgency". "For this reason, a final service model will not be presented to the board for approval until November."
She added that the review did not look at any specific issues "relating to individual patients and has not identified any parts of the service that are currently unsafe". Rural issues
Health Minister Mark Drakeford said the review "bears out many of the things I have said over the year I have been health minister - that we try to do too many things in too many parts of Wales". Dr Fish said work was already underway to "improve our cardiology services" in light of the Royal College review.
"To respond to the report from the Royal College of Physicians in time, we also have to begin work now, led by our cardiologists, to identify the safest and most appropriate model to ensure safe services in the future," added the medical director.
But the chairman of the board's community health council, which represents patients, has raised concerns about how the Royal College report findings may be implemented.
Paul Hinge said the report failed to recognise that the population of Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire can swell during holiday periods, and did not reflect the rural nature of the health board area.
"I hope that the health board's action plan will take on board the rurality of the area when developing its model," he stressed.