Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 2:40 pm on 11 October 2022.
Minister, back in 1913—I wasn't around then—when Maesteg Community Hospital first opened, it didn't have enough money to actually build it or run it, so the appeal went out, and the miners and their families in the Llynfi valley actually took weekly and monthly payments out of their salaries in order to pay for that hospital to get up and running. It is much loved; it's been at the centre of healthcare and well-being in the Llynfi and the Afan valleys ever since, and it's got a bright future, because the health board is looking at extending the services there, including the day services, to match the modern needs of that society. But—and here's where I'd welcome a statement—we know that there were good proposals to reopen the ward that's been closed, which was transferred under COVID to the Seren ward down in Bridgend, with an intention to bring it back, upgraded, more modern, with bigger space around the beds et cetera. But it hasn't happened, because, I understand, the cost overruns, with the rising costs now, have gone from £600,000 to well over £1 million, and there's a gap there that needs to be filled. Minister, could we have a statement on this? Because people want reassurance that there is a bright future for the hospital as an entirety, but also for this ward, because the staff themselves, who are also much loved, want to come back and be back in that ward looking after the people from the area.