People in west Wales have been asked to stay away from accident and emergency departments at hospitals unless they have life-threatening or serious conditions, because health staff are working under “extreme pressure” in the run-up to Christmas.
Hywel Dda University Health Board, which manages healthcare in Carmarthenshire, Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion, has made the appeal, with specific regard to Glangwili Hospital in Carmarthen and Withybush Hospital in Haverfordwest - the two major A&E units in south west Wales.
The high levels of demand placed on staff at the hospital is not related to the ongoing industrial action, according to the health board, which has seen nurses go on strike on both Thursday, December 15 and Tuesday, December 20. You can keep up to date with the latest Carmarthenshire news by signing up to the local newsletter here.
A spokesperson for Hywel Dda University Health Board said: “Our emergency departments are under extreme pressure. Please, only attend A&E if you have a life-threatening illness or serious injury, such as severe breathing difficulties, severe pain or bleeding, chest pain or a suspected stroke or serious trauma injuries. To ensure that we can treat patients appropriately, we urge you to choose your healthcare services very carefully so that we are only seeing people with urgent or emergency care needs in A&E.
"In a medical emergency, when someone is seriously ill or injured and their life is at risk (such as unconsciousness, difficulty breathing, a suspected heart attack or stroke, chest pain, heavy blood loss, serious injury or severe burns), you should dial 999. If you have urgent care needs that won’t wait but are not 999 emergencies, please dial 111 for NHS Direct Wales for health advice and support. The number is free to call and this service is available even when your GP surgery is open.”
It’s not the first time this year that the health board has issued such a warning to patients in west Wales. Hospitals in the region were at breaking point in May due to “unprecedented pressure”. Just last week, meanwhile, Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board issued a similar warning. Health care across Carmarthenshire, Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion is set to undergo huge changes in the next few years, with a new hospital being built between the existing Glangwili and Withybush sites. You can read more about those plans here.
A number of sites to the west of Carmarthen were initially put forward for consideration before a final three were decided upon following a health board meeting in August. All three are within a five mile radius between the towns of St Clears and Whitland in western Carmarthenshire. The health board said the huge investment would “improve and increase the specialist care services that can be provided and tackle some long standing challenges, including old hospitals, problems in maintaining medical rotas over several hospitals, and staff recruitment”.
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