Call for health board to face councillors over possible palliative care unit closure

Councillor Andrew Barry has submitted a notice of motion to Merthyr Tydfil full council in relation to the proposals for specialist palliative care at ward six in Ysbyty Cwm Cynon in Mountain Ash.

It calls on the leader to again request that Cwm Taf Morgannwg health board addresses the council at the earliest opportunity to give a comprehensive update on the situation and the measures being taken to address these critical issues “to avoid what the public perceive as the dismantling of the NHS in front of our very eyes”.

The proposal being considered is to close the unit covering Merthyr Tydfil and the Cynon Valley and keep the units in Y Bwthyn (Royal Glamorgan) and Y Bwthyn Newydd (Princess of Wales).

It also includes using resources to support specialist palliative care in other areas such as in the community including Hospice@Home, in community hospitals providing end-of-life care with support from specilalist services, and in acute hospitals developing rapid access to end-of-life care for discharge home and increasing support for general wards.

Cllr Barry mentions another notice of motion which was approved at full council on Wednesday, June 11, last year which raised ongoing concerns about the impact of moving the acute stroke unit from Prince Charles Hospital in Merthyr Tydfil to the Royal Glamorgan Hospital in Llantrisant.

This current notice of motion says: “The removal of such a critical service has the possibility of patients experiencing delays receiving critical care, exacerbating their conditions and increasing the risk of long-term disability.

“Although Royal Glamorgan Hospital (RGH) continues to operate at full capacity there are still serious concerns about its ability manage the additional patient load effectively and the lack of proper public transport or infrastructure to RGH remains a significant barrier for families wishing
to visit their loved ones, impacting patient recovery and family wellbeing.”

The motion says that through a presentation by Llais at the Healthier scrutiny committee on Tuesday, February 10, it is understood the “temporary” move to the Royal Glamorgan has been extended by a further six months.

The original notice of motion called for an immediate review of the decision saying health and wellbeing of residents must be a top priority and that “we cannot stand by while critical healthcare services are compromised and community’s needs are neglected”.

And this latest motion says: “Yet here we stand, within a year of the withdrawal of the acute stroke unit and we have a consultation and engagement exercise that may reduce palliative care resulting in further reduction of critical health care within the northern Valleys.”

The motion quotes the consultation document saying: “Death is natural part of life, and we have only one chance to get it right; everyone should have the opportunity to be with the people they choose, in the place they choose, when they die.”

The motion asks: “Are we to belief that in such a short timescale we are again citing recruitment of specialist staff as an argument to further reduce vital services from the northern Valleys?”

Cllr Barry’s motion says: “The previous notice of motion brought by my Independent colleagues in relation to the acute stroke ward being withdrawn from Prince Charles Hospital was approved by council asking the leader request the health board addresses the council at the earliest opportunity, to give a comprehensive update on the situation and the measures being taken to address these critical issues.

“We ask the health board to urgently address the staffing challenges in order to make both palliative care and the acute stroke care more sustainable and accessible for the communities it serves within Cwm Taf Morgannwg and the wider northern Valleys communities.”

Council leader Brent Carter recently wrote to the health board to express serious apprehension about the proposals for specialist palliative care and raised the risk associated with them including impact on local access to care, loss of a high-quality trusted service,  increased burden on families and carers, concerns over staffing-driven decision making and strong community opposition.

He called on them to reconsider any proposal that permanently removes specialist palliative care beds from Ysbyty Cwm Cynon, prioritise recruitment and retention to restore consultant-led SPC locally, and ensure community-based expansion complements, rather than replaces, inpatient services.

A spokesman for Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board said: “Demand on our adult specialist palliative care teams is increasing and we need to redesign our services so they are sustainable and able to support more patients in the community. Evidence shows that most people at the end of life would prefer to be cared for, and to die, at home or closer to home.

“Our specialist palliative care teams provide vital support not only within our specialist units but also by offering expert advice to acute hospitals, GPs, and community teams as well as helping patients remain in their own homes. We want everyone to have fair access to high‑quality specialist palliative and end‑of‑life care, support, and advice delivered in a way that respects individual choices and needs.

“We are engaging with, and listening to, our communities to help shape the future of specialist palliative care, ensuring it is fairer, more sustainable, and better focused on supporting people with the most complex needs while strengthening end‑of‑life care within the community.”

The consultation runs from Wednesday, February 11, until Wednesday, April 1.