Caerphilly County Borough residents are among those least satisfied with the Welsh NHS according to a survey.
The Welsh Government’s National Survey for Wales spoke to 14,500 people about the quality of their services, their well-being and safety.
Despite a positive reaction to the NHS in Wales, in Caerphilly County Borough 13% were dissatisfied with their most recent GP and hospital care.
The highest level of dissatisfaction was in Caerphilly and Newport, part of Aneurin Bevan University Health Board (ABHUB), and Rhondda Cynon Taff.
Residents of Newport and Caerphilly were most likely to believe they were not treated with dignity or respect at hospitals and ABUHB was the worst performer in terms of patient satisfaction.
Katherine Murphy, Chief Executive of the Patients Association, said: “These figures are worrying particularly because we raised similar concerns about other hospitals to the Welsh Health Secretary last year.
“Patients who visit GPs and hospitals covered by ABUHB deserve high quality safe care that maintains their dignity at all times in all care settings.”
An ABUHB spokesperson said: “Set in the context of the many thousands of patients that are treated and cared for every day in the local NHS, it is encouraging that most people say they are happy with the treatment and care they have received.
“Staff within ABUHB are continually striving to drive up standards and improve the quality of the care they provide.”
The NHS fared better than council services, although Caerphilly residents are among the happiest in Wales with their local authority.
In Caerphilly, 36% of those questioned were dissatisfied with the services provided by the council – the second lowest to Cardiff – and over 60% agreed the council provide high quality services, the highest in Wales.
Caerphilly County Borough Council Leader, Cllr Keith Reynolds, said: “This is a vote of confidence in the authority and we are delighted to see that local people have such a positive view about the council and the services we provide.”
Blackwood Labour councillor, Nigel Dix, said the survey shows his constituents are happy.
He said: “Blackwood is a brilliant town. It’s got good amenities, good bus routes, beautiful surroundings and a thriving town centre that has bucked the trend, with the help of business at Blackwood Gate.
“The large investment of the new cinema will attract more people and business and residents are excited about it.
“As a council we have had governance issues and we have to hold our hands up to that and all councillors have the responsibility to make sure it never happens again, – but the survey shows the services we provide are great.”
Across Wales 92% of people were happy with primary school education, 85% with secondary schools, but only 45% of under 65s were able to keep up with their bills.
The NHS in Wales is simply not good enough. I have never worked in the NHS and can only base any judgement on my own experiences and those of my friends and family. Thirty years ago I could visit my GP, without appointment morning or evening. He would perform minor surgery there and then, several times I had wounds stitched without going near and A&E, or casualty as they were then called.
Our A&E is any case miles away now from where I live whereas once we had 24 hour cover at the Miners hospital less than half a mile from where I live. It was a pretty good hospital in other respects too, despite being run down dramatically and starved of money. My late mother was transferred from the Heath to the Miners in 2011. They (Heath) said she was fit to go home or to a care home as she was medically stable. Within 24 hours of admission to the Miners doctors had discovered she had a serious infection and had metal work from a leg operation erupting from her skin. This required an operation to put right.
We are regressing rather than improving our health care. Technological advances there have been , for sure, but these are no compensation for the comparatively poor service we are getting today.
You make excellent points as always, Richard.
The NHS in Wales has catastrophic failings but Cardiff Bay fails to admit to the problems.
The number of GP’s hasn’t increased in line with the number of people. They are over-subscribed and failing to provide the necessary treatment needed.
The hospitals are similar. Too many people and too few doctors and beds. Current strategy seems to be improvement by a few extra tick boxes to fill in. There could be a new policy here or a new poster there but it’s all useless.
The only way to save the NHS is to build more hospitals increasing capacity by 25%, employing more doctors to match and equipping more hospitals with A&E wards. There isn’t the money to do this though so the health service will only get worse.
The next logical step is to fund treatment at privately owned hospitals where efficiency tends to be greater.
The cinema that is coming to Blackwood is down to Steve Reynolds and picturedrome and nothing to do with caerphilly cbc or Nigel dix. I would like Mr dix to elaborate on the so called facilities that are in blackwood apart from the “soon to be opened” cinema. Additionally, 14,500 people who filled in a survey (which I didn’t see) out of a population in wales of about 3 million is not representative at all. So cut the guff Caerphilly cbc your recent activities says it all.
I would like to know why Andrew goodall CEO of ABLHB has just been given a promotion by Mark drakeford when he has been a failure as CEO like martin Turner and Andrew cotton before him.
I would like to know why the Aneurin Bevan University Health Board, under the Chairmanship of Mr Goodall did not know, and continue not to know, how many people it has working for them with criminal records.
This continued situation is like a time bomb, there are potentially staff with all sorts of unsavoury criminal convictions which render them totally unsuitable for jobs dealing with vulnerable people and walking the wards of our hospital unsupervised and largely unmanaged are there people with convictions for assaults?, child pornography? and allied activity, alcohol and drug offences?, ( access to drugs?) or any other criminal offences at all?
I am not suggesting that no-one with a criminal record can be employed by the Health Authority, what I am saying is that they don`t know if they employ them or not, particularly if an offence is gained whilst already in service, they are therfore unable to put in place proper checks and balances of increased or additional close supervision, or, increased levels of supervisory mangement of such individuals to ensure the safety of patients and their families whilst using our Welsh Health Service
This is a disgraceful situation and something no one appears to be doing anything much about, even after the matter has been highlighted as a matter of public interest with the Welsh Assembly.
Very worrying situation but don’t bet on the Welsh Assembly doing anything to ensure the Aneurin Bevan board puts in place procedures that would be routine in many other industries that have contact with the public.
My business is accredited by the NHER (National Energy Services) and they stipulate that all members submit CRB checks on a regular basis. I have been an accredited member for six years and, at my own expense, have had to arrange a criminal record check three times in this period. Why is the Aneurin Bevan health board not, at least, as punctilious as NHER?
Trefor
This indeed is very worrying perhaps you ought to alert ann clwyd if no one in the assembly is interested. The last email I sent to the health minister and 4 other AM’s on a very important matter has been ignored. Not even a push off letter from any of them.
They ought to hang their heads in shame.
Week in week out on bbc wales are pretty good aswell.
Please fill in this nhs petition into having a full enquiry into the NHS in wales:
https://www.assemblywales.org/epetition-list-of-signatories.htm?pet_id=1019
Please pass onto your friends as well.
The Welsh audit office need people to tell them about NHS waiting times as well:
http://www.nhswaiting.wao.gov.uk/
Please pass onto your friends.
Another rather meaningless survey, less than 1% of the population took part….they have the nerve to call it a national survey for Wales! The questions were most likely hand picked multiple choice so that the answers could be manipulated.
Are you satisfied with your local council services
A – very satisfied
B – extremely satisfied
C – always satisfied
D – satisfied
100% of those questioned said they were satisfied with local council services.
Their covert surveillance of employees is top-notch.