9. 9. Short Debate: Protecting and Developing Regional Centres of Medical Excellence

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 5:38 pm on 11 October 2017.

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Photo of Mike Hedges Mike Hedges Labour 5:38, 11 October 2017

Can I thank Dai Lloyd for giving me a minute in this debate? South Wales has two major hospitals—that is without argument—that is Morriston and the Heath. Really, what we’re looking at is: how can we make the best use of both? We need to support both. To west Wales—and I include the area that you represent, Llywydd—Morriston is the major hospital. Anybody who has spent any time there will know that major road accidents from Machynlleth end up in Morriston. It may be slightly over an hour away, and I know people talk about this really important hour, but I think an hour and five minutes is an awful lot better than two hours. And I think that, perhaps, is saying that, yes, an hour’s great, if we can get it in an hour, but don’t write it off as ‘Well, if you can’t do it in an hour, well it doesn’t matter, it might as well get there the next day’. That’s not necessarily the way forward.

On burns and plastics, it is inconceivable that burns and plastics will move to Cardiff. It’s conceivable that it will move back to Bristol. Swansea won it in competition with Bristol because of the high quality of staff in Swansea and that it has created a reputation, and it’s a reputation that has been hard earned by a number of very talented physicians. I think it really is important that we look at what is best for the people of south Wales, and it’s not one place suits all. Can I just say, as somebody who used to travel back to the old Welsh Office—? I used to know that halfway from my house in Morriston to the old Welsh Office in Cardiff was somewhere along Northern Avenue in terms of time. I’ve seen ambulances make their way down there and I’ve seen the cars parting, but the cars are parting and the ambulances go through at 10 mph not 70 mph. So, let’s do something that benefits all the people of south Wales, and keep two centres working for the benefit of the people.