Caerphilly Council’s Plaid Cymru leader Councillor Allan Pritchard has condemned Labour councillors for their “scurrilous attacks” on the new £172m Ysbyty Ystrad Fawr.
Labour councillor Nigel Dix recently described the new complex as a “cottage hospital” while fellow councillor Ray Davies has questioned facilities at Ysbyty Ystrad Fawr.
Councillor Allan Pritchard called on the council’s opposition Labour group to disassociate themselves from the remarks by their two councillors.
“Politicians of all persuasions have campaigned and fought for a new hospital in this area for the past 40 years.
“Now, on the eve of this dream coming true, what we get is scurrilous attacks from local Labour councillors – just whingeing that Ysbyty Ystrad Fawr is no more than a cottage hospital?
“Are the views of Councillors Dix and Davies those held by the Labour group on Caerphilly council? The public need to know where Labour locally stands.
“Plans for the hospital were approved by Caerphilly County Borough Council when it was under Labour control, by a Labour appointed Local Health Board and by a Labour Health Minister under the Labour-run Welsh Assembly Government.”
Councillor Allan Pritchard added: “The new hospital will have 269 beds and, in addition, to general hospital services, Ysbyty Ystrad Fawr will form a central hub for community services and GP out-of-hours services. That could hardly be described as a cottage hospital.?
“The local emergency centre is an enhanced minor injuries unit with full diagnostic services such as CT scanning, fluoroscopy and MRI, which would not be included within general minor injury units. This will help reduce unnecessary emergency admissions and hospital attendances.
“The local emergency centre will be a single integrated service working seven days a week, including urgent treatment and advise available 24 hours a day – hardly a cottage hospital. It will also have an acute medical ward with monitored beds for emergency patients who require admission for further observation or tests and rapid access clinics for urgent patients to avoid the need for hospital admissions.”
“We need a full A&E unit there. With changing weather patterns we had 10 days last winter where people couldn’t get out on to the streets so we need a full A&E that people can access.
“It’s a big let down that we have got a new hospital and they are not providing a fully fledged A&E services.”
As I understand it Councillor Alan Pritchard`s Assembly Member and Council Colleague, Plaid Cymru member Lindsay Whittle , has also expressed his serious concerns with the lack of full A&E facilities at the new hospital.
Councillor Pritchard appears to be out of step with the views of the general population of the area in respect to this issue. Whilst it is fair to say that Councillor Alan Pritchard is being reasonable and correct in the things he has outlined WILL be available, he falls short of agreeing with his Plaid Cymru Assembly Colleague Lindsay Whittle, who is clearly IN STEP with his constituents in South East Wales in his belief that a full 24 hour Accident and Emergency facility must be provided at this facility.
I cannot understand why Cllr. Pritchard accuses Cllr. Dix of making "Scurrilous attacks" when he done nothing of the kind. Cllr Dix is merely stating the obvious, the new hospital may have MRI scanners, etc, but falls far short of providing the emergency and theatre care that is required. Cllr. Ray Davies is also correct in pointing out that the Miners provides day time A&E and could have also made the point that, until run down began, the Miners hospital provided 24 hour A&E.
These councillors are just doing what they were elected to do, which is represent the views of the voters who over whelmingly want a hospital with a full set of facilities. The former leader and Plaid Cymru AM, Lindsay Whittle, has also voiced his concerns over the same issue. I stand four square behind any campaign that Lindsay mounts, to provide better facilities at the new hospital.
This issue is far more important than a party political spat and would like to see all councillors providing a united front with the people of this borough; who do not want a second class hospital.
As a resident of Caerphilly, I feel let down by the new hospital. With the Miners we had 24Hr A&E on our doorstep, now we have a hospital, 5 miles away with no 24 Hr A&E. The reason the Miners was built in the first place was that patients were dying before ther got to a hospital in Cardiff. I dont know about naming wards after collieries, we should change the name of the hopspital to 1984,or George Orwell,because in the words of the Ministry of Truth, from his book, 1984 we are being told to believe "less is more", "worse is better", or in our case "part time A&E is better than 24hr A&E". Remember Big Brother is watching you.
Perhaps Alan Pritchard can inform everyone what exactly the following comment, contained in his statement, means, particularly in respect to anything to do with a 24/7 Accident and Emergency facility?????
"The local emergency centre will be a single integrated service working seven days a week, including urgent treatment and advise available 24 hours a day"
Is`nt that what hospitals do, even when they have NO A&E provisions at all?? and has nothing at all to do with Accident and Emergency care.