AND NOW, YET ANOTHER LABOUR HEALTH SCANDAL … THIS TIME AT THE HEATH HOPSPITAL

Patients at Cardiff’s Heath Hospital have been found left in a crowded waiting room, sitting in a chair for up to 20 hours and overnight with no food and drink  ….according to a damning report by the Welsh Labour Government’s own Health Inspectorate Wales.

The Heath Hospital – also known as the University Hospital of Wales Cardiff – is the main hospital for Penarth and is run by the Cardiff and Vale University Health Board.

In March this year inspectors from the Health Inspectorate Wales descended – uninvited and un-announced  – on the Heath Hospital’s so-called “Assessment Unit” in March this year  – where it appears that in order to fiddle waiting times in Accident and Emergency – patients are dumped and left where they won’t be counted in A&E waiting times  .

However thanks to the HIW inspectors, the  sleight-of-hand has failed to pay off – the hospital managers and the Cardiff and Vale Health Board have been well and truly rumbled.

The HIW report  found that many patients waiting to be assessed at Wales’ biggest hospital were left in chairs for up to 20 hours, some without proper food or drink.

A team from Health Inspectorate Wales (HIW) visited in the Heath Hopsital in March, following a tip-off from the local patient watchdog about the hospital’s Assessment Unit (AU).

Inspectors found:-

•  Patients waiting in chairs within the AU lounge for“unacceptable and prolonged” periods of time – many throughout the night
•  Patients without immediate access to drinking water – some went without hot food, and were not always offered sandwiches or biscuits
•  The lounge – which has 20 seats – was cramped and offered little or no privacy for patients
•  Staffing and recruitment issues, often leaving shifts short of staff – including immediate concerns which could impact on patient safety
•  “Significant improvements” were found to be needed to improve the quality of patient care and the delivery of safe and effective care.

Penarth AM Andrew R T Davies

Penarth Conservative AM Andrew RT Davies (South Wales Central) says “This is a damning report on the state of health services at Wales’ biggest hospital. Some of the findings are absolutely appalling and no individual should be subject to such treatment, particularly when they are likely to be at their most vulnerable.

“There are serious concerns regarding staffing and the quality of care at the Heath Hospital and Labour’s Health Minister [Vaughan Gething]  must take responsibility . Once again the Welsh NHS is failing on his watch.  “

Mr Davies says “We now need a clear action plan to deliver the rapid and sustained improvement which is needed to deliver better care for patients in Cardiff and South Wales. Regrettably, patients and front-line staff continue to be let down by mismanagement and incompetent leadership from the Welsh Labour Government.”

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