32 Health


THE HERALD FRIDAY JANUARY 27 2017


£1.2m for maternity unit business case ELUNED MORGAN, Labour


AM for Mid and West Wales, has welcomed the Welsh Government’s announcement of funding for the preparation of a business case for improvements at Glangwili’s Maternity Unit. Cabinet Secretary for Health and


Social Services Vaughan Gething has announced that £1.2 million has been set aside to develop a second phase of improvements at Glangwili Hospital. Eluned Morgan said: “Having


visited the maternity units at both Withybush and Glangwili Hospital, I am pleased that this money is available. Hywel Dda Health Board must move quickly to develop a sustainable business case that improves the service for local patients. Healthcare professionals are working in a difficult environment at present but I must commend them for the great job they are doing despite the cramped conditions. “Patients deserve better and that


is why I would like to see some pace that provides assurance to expectant mams and dads that they will continue to receive the very best care in a facility that can accommodate new parents and babies from Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire.” Last week, in a meeting with


Hywel Dda Health Board Chief Executive Steve Moore, Eluned Morgan


Hoping people will comment on proposals: Vaughan Gething


highlighted ongoing concerns regarding patient transport and sought assurances that everything was being done to minimise the impact of the temporary reduced opening hours of the Paediatric Assessment Unit at Withybush Hospital. Eluned commented: “I had a very


constructive meeting with the Chief Executive on a range of topics such as diagnosis times for autism, GP services in Tenby and the Amman Valley and the recruitment of key positions in front line service. I also discussed the provision of paediatric care which has remained a high profile issue since I raised urgent questions in the Senedd and at the Health Board meeting last autumn. I


am pleased that he took on board many of my concerns and is working closely with his management team to meet the challenges of increased demand and to match the expectations of patients in our local communities.” Health Secretary Vaughan Gething


said: “I am pleased to announce this funding, which will allow Hywel Dda to develop plans to improve facilities at Glangwili. “An important part of this process is


engagement with the public and I hope people will take the opportunity to have their say on any proposals. “We want people in West Wales to have access to the best quality neonatal


Welcomed investment: Eluned Morgan


and maternity services, this funding will go a long way to help deliver that ambition.” The Welsh Government expects to


receive the business case by the summer. Chief Executive Steve Moore


said: “We are delighted the Welsh Government has given us support to move to the next stage in this capital development project. For us, this is an important further step in providing improved facilities for our families and staff using Glangwili Hospital’s maternity and special care baby services. “We will continue to work closely with patients, staff, stakeholders and the


PUBLIC HEALTH WALES


Steve Moore: ‘An important further step’


public to build and test the final business case to ensure we have the strongest case for improving the hospital environment so we can be as proud of our space and facilities as we are of our hard working staff. At the same time, we are working on early planning for the third stage of this project to also upgrade our facilities for children’s services at the hospital and we have not lost sight of that commitment either.”


Health Board appoints Vice Chair Updated advice on e-cigarettes JUDITH HARDISTY has been


appointed as Vice Chair for the University Health Board (UHB) following a rigorous recruitment process. Bernardine Rees, OBE, Chair of


Hywel Dda University Health Board, said: “Judith joined the University Health Board as a new Independent Member last year and has, more recently, held the role of Interim Vice Chair to allow time to appoint to the substantive role. “She has provided excellent scrutiny


and insight to the Board thus far and I wish to congratulate Judith on her appointment.” Mrs Hardisty was formerly an


NHS Assistant Chief Executive (Organisational Development) and an experienced HR/Workforce Director.


She has more than 20 years experience of working at Board level with various NHS bodies and nearly 40 years NHS experience across all sectors. She retired from the NHS in


December 2015 and is currently an external assessor for the Corporate Health Standard and a lay reviewer for Health Inspectorate Wales. On receiving confirmation of her


appointment, Judith said: “I am thrilled to have been appointed as the Vice Chair which I see as a privilege and a challenge. “In the role, I look forward to


continuing to work with everyone in the University Health Board and our partners. In particular, as Vice Chair, I will do everything I can to provide strategic leadership and support to the


Judith Hardisty: Vice Chair for the University Health Board


Primary and Community Care, Mental Health and Learning Disabilities services.”


has this week published its updated position statement providing advice to the public about the potential impacts of e-cigarettes on health. The updated advice says that, for


children and young people and non- smoking adults, the use of e-cigarettes is likely to be harmful to health. Current smokers who want to


quit are advised to find out about the range of help available to them and choose the approach that is best for them. This help includes proven NHS services like Stop Smoking Wales and community pharmacies. The advice for committed


smokers who can’t or won’t quit is that switching completely to e-cigarettes will significantly benefit their health.


Dr Julie Bishop, Director of


Health Improvement for Public Health Wales, said: “We recognise that there are a


lot of confusing and contradictory messages around e-cigarettes. This is because there isn’t one simple answer – it is different for different groups of the population. “In simple terms, if you don’t


smoke, don’t vape. But if you are a committed smoker who is unwilling or unable to quit, switching completely to e-cigarettes will be beneficial to your health.” Public Health Wales is committed


to a smoke-free and nicotine-free Wales in the longer term. The new position statement was


approved at a meeting of the Public Health Wales Board today.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72