Public Meeting Tonight To Discuss Plans To Centralise NHS Services In Wales

The public meeting, to be held in the Wrexham Lager Social Club, Union St, Wrexham, at 7.30pm will also hear from Dr Eamonn Jessup, a GP who represents the British Medical Association in North Wales. He has criticised closing community hospitals such as Llangollen, which he says will lead to more people having to stay in Wrexham Maelor hospital, which creates bed-blocking. The other speaker is Ruth Drake, who has campaigned for the Special Care Baby Unit after her own experiences of giving birth in Wrexham.

The proposed changes by Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board have drawn strong reactions as they could see many local community hospitals either close or see their services reduced. The other major controversial change is to move neonatal intensive care to Arrowe Park on the Wirral.

Llyr Gruffydd, Plaid Cymru’s Assembly Member for North Wales, said: “There is widespread opposition to the planned closure of local hospitals in communities across the North. The proposals would mean patients being moved from community hospitals such as Llangollen to private nursing homes at an undisclosed cost to the NHS. Chirk and Ruthin Hospitals also face being downgraded, with the minor injuries unit in both facing closure. All this will put additional pressure on the existing general hospitals, such as Wrexham Maelor.

“What also concerns me is the the plan to move all neonatal intensive care across the border to Arrowe Park. Although NHS managers claim this will only affect a small percentage of babies, I fear this will lead to a poorer service in Glan Clwyd and Wrexham Maelor’s Special Care Baby Units as specialist knowledge will be lost.”

We have written about the ongoing consultation into the proposals.

Aside from tonights meeting its possible to attend public meetings held by the Betsi Cadwaldr Health Board:

To make your views known you can contact the Community Health Council by e-mailing [email protected] or by telephone on 01248 679284.

Betsi Cadwaldr will also be holding a series of public meetings during the consultation period offering an opportunity for you to join the debate in person. To book a place please call 0800 678 5297.

Sessions are scheduled to start at 2pm, 4pm and at 6pm to give more people chance to get involved. Dates and times of meetings in Wrexham can be seen below:

Wednesday 12 September – Chirk – Parish Hall
Wednesday 26 September – Llangollen – Town Hall
Monday 1 October – Wrexham- Catrin Finch Centre, Glyndŵr University