North Wales Assembly Member Mark Isherwood has called on the Welsh Government to address concerns regarding vascular service changes at Ysbyty Gwynedd and Wrexham Maelor Hospital.
Last December, Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board announced that emergency vascular surgery and inpatient care will be centralised at Ysbyty Glan Clwyd, having previously said that there would be no change in provision.
Speaking in the Assembly Chamber yesterday, Mr Isherwood asked whether an impact assessment had been considered to establish the actual needs of the population.
During Questions to the First Minister, he said:
“The concern remains about the other problems that patients can suffer, even if they access vascular services and the first point of contact is Ysbyty Gwynedd.
Last February (2018), the Health Board told us that emergency vascular services without qualification would remain in the three District General Hospitals in North Wales, supported by a petition signed by over 3,000 people, and questions raised in Prime Minister's questions, as well as in this Chamber.
“What consideration has been given to doing an impact assessment, particularly given the rurality of the population affected, to establish the actual needs of this population if they now have to travel further and if their conditions could expose them to other consequences (requiring services) that may not be available to them unless they can get to Ysbyty Glan Clwyd?”
The Minister for Environment, Energy and Rural Affairs answered questions on behalf of the First Minister.
She said: “80 per cent of patient care will continue in the other two sites - Wrexham Maelor Hospital and Ysbyty Gwynedd. It will only be the complex cases that go to Ysbyty Glan Clwyd. So, where the new centre has been built, that's attracted consultants and doctors, whom I don't think would have been attracted to North Wales unless we had that specialist centre. But in cases where it's in patients' interests to be treated for an emergency in either Ysbyty Gwynedd or Wrexham Maelor Hospital, as happens now, there will be a new, robust service, which will allow an on-call vascular specialist to advise and, where appropriate, attend, so the patients could still have the treatment in Ysbyty Gwynedd or Wrexham Maelor Hospital.”