NHS Winter Pressures

Part of 3. Topical Questions – in the Senedd at 4:08 pm on 16 December 2020.

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Photo of Laura Anne Jones Laura Anne Jones Conservative 4:08, 16 December 2020

Can I just start by saying that I'm not in any way criticising the NHS staff in the Grange hospital in my South Wales East constituency? They are doing an incredible job under extreme pressures at the moment. But I've had doctors, GPs, contacting me from the catchment area for the Grange hospital saying they are terrified for their patients they are sending there as they deem the Grange to be unsafe and unfit for purpose. As well as us obviously seeing now patients waiting in car parks for 17 hours with life-threatening illnesses, and people waiting in ambulances for extraordinary amounts of time, what is also apparent, from not just the COVID cases rising, is that the infrastructure at the Grange hospital is not ready. It is not coping. There are not enough beds, there are not enough staff, the internal phone systems are not working properly, and also the hospital is not set up to receive cars. And when there was an entire fleet of ambulances outside the hospital last weekend, it needs to be set up for cars, it needs to be ready. These systems, these internal processes are clearly not ready. So, what urgent action are you taking, Minister, to ensure that the Grange hospital is fit for purpose?