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5 News Where is our care home? Sian Caiach: Called for urgent action


Councillor Caiach said: “The news is full of the NHS crisis and the fact that much of the pressure on hospital beds is due to the lack of social care provision. Why then in Llanelli is our long promised, new £7 million care home being delayed to add funding to the ARCH project at Delta Lakes?" Promoted relentlessly by Cllr


Meryl Gravell, the “Wellness” project, also called the “Neuro Village” is an ambitious plan to use money from the University of Swansea, Hywel Dda Health Board, Private investors and the County Council to set up a large commercial and scientific project based on a Health Spa, neurological research and private medical companies. The project is backed by the Swansea City Bay Region. Councillor Caiach is calling for


COUNTY Councillor Sian


Caiach has called for urgent action to build a new council care home in Llanelli.


Councillor Caiach claims that a


large new care home for Llanelli to replace the closure of St Paul’s care home which was closed in 2011, has


been delayed because of the complex new City Region project. The new care homes scheduled for


Carmarthen and the Amman Valley have already been built. Speaking to The Herald Councillor


Caiach said: “There has been a promise of a new build for some time; however,


the project seems to have become bound up in the Wellness Centre project, which appears to provide private care to those able to afford it and not meet the need for a council care home in Llanelli." Speaking about the shortage of care for the elderly in Llanelli


clarity on the new provision and told The Herald: “In Llanelli we have had a downgrading of our casualty department to a walk in minor injuries and illnesses unit. This means more Llanelli people having to attend and be admitted to West Wales hospital in Carmarthen and the elderly are often facing delays to return to Llanelli. The new care home could help the situation, reducing the bed blockage


problems and allowing those who need a lot of care to return nearer home.” Councillor Caiach emphasised


the urgency for a new home and said: “Although the ARCH project could provide jobs sometime in the future if all the backers actually put their money in, and planning and building on the site goes well nothing is certain yet. If it is commercially viable the Neuro Village will be built anyway, without the care home money. "At the moment the site has no


planning, roads or utilities. There is an urgent need to provide a care home for Llanelli people now rather than use the care home to fund a private health care project! "If the council plan and start a


build now, next winter we should have a new facility and less elderly patients stuck in hospital.” We asked the Council to comment


on the alleged delay in building a new council-owned care home in Llanelli. Jake Morgan, Director of Communities, said: “We are working through options in relation to Llanelli care provision to ensure any investment in provision is complimentary to any other developments in the area"


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