Welsh health board under ‘extreme pressure’
A Welsh health board has warned of ‘extreme pressure’ and long wait times for patients across their hospital sites.
Hywel Dda University Health Board have issued a message warning of extremely busy hospitals with emergency and urgent care in high demand.
The health board has asked that friends and family of patients who are considered well enough to go home should ‘please help us by coming to pick them up promptly’ so new patients can be admitted.
The health board has also requested that patients only attend an emergency department if they have a life threatening or serious injury.
High demand
Patients with less serious injuries such as minor wounds, burns or foreign bodies in the nose or ear should visit one of the health board’s minor injury units.
Anyone feeling unwell and in need of support should access the NHS Wales symptom checker online.
The urgent message comes a few weeks after nurses in Wales launched industrial action over pay demands amid a staffing crisis along with ambulance staff a week ago.
Hywel Dda University Health Board said: “Our hospitals continue to be extremely busy with many sick patients and continuing high demand for emergency and urgent care.
“This means patients are waiting longer than we would want them to. We are working hard with colleagues, particularly from the Welsh Ambulance Services Trust, and local authorities, and we are seeing patients with the highest clinical needs first.
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Drakeford is a strange kind of leader. He wants to invite all-comers to arrive in Wales, whoever they may be, and at the same time has to find the extra money to fund the NHS and others services, to cope the increased demand. You can’t have it both ways, Mr Undertaker!