Part of 3. Topical Questions – in the Senedd at 3:36 pm on 29 January 2020.
Minister, this is an issue that is of great concern to my constituents. Those who live in Cilfynydd, Glyncoch and Ynysybwl depend directly upon the A&E facilities at the Royal Glamorgan, whilst the rest of my constituents, who depend upon A&E provision at Prince Charles Hospital, are rightly concerned about the additional pressures that could be placed upon facilities there if A&E at the Royal Glamorgan is removed or downgraded. At a meeting of Assembly Members, MPs and council leaders last Friday, the health board talked us through very candidly the problems that they are facing with the sustainability of services at the Royal Glamorgan, with A&E there being run, as you've said, by one permanent consultant and three locums, and that one consultant now bringing forward his retirement, thus leaving the service in a potentially unsustainable condition.
The health board assured us that they'd been engaged in a continuous open recruitment process for several years, but, despite that, had been unable to recruit any other consultant. What assistance could you as health Minister provide to Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board to help bolster their recruitment drive and encourage consultants to take up these vacant positions at the hospital? What resources could be provided to both Prince Charles Hospital in Merthyr, and the Princess of Wales Hospital in Bridgend, to help ensure that their A&E departments are able to support the additional demand that would be placed upon them if A&E at Royal Glamorgan is removed or downgraded?
And, finally, we all know that some people who arrive at A&E could be better dealt with at a minor injuries unit, which can do so much more than treating minor injuries—such as dealing with broken bones, for example. But the closure of minor injuries units, or the reduction of hours that we have seen at some, such as Ysbyty Cwm Cynon, in my constituency, leaves patients with little choice but to go to A&E. So, as part of these proposals for the Royal Glamorgan, will you, Minister, commit to working with Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board to explore the possibility of strengthening minor injuries units in community hospitals such as Ysbyty Cwm Cynon and Ysbyty Cwm Rhondda, thus bringing health services closer to the people and relieving pressure on A&E?