A view from Mark Isherwood – Welsh Conservative North Wales Member of the Senedd

Wrexham.com has invited the four North Wales Members of the Senedd to write a monthly column with updates on their work. You can find their updates – along with contributions from the Wrexham and Clwyd South MPs and MSs – here. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​ ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​ ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​ ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

In his monthly column for Wrexham.com, Welsh Conservative MS Mark Isherwood writes.. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​ ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

As well as raising matters in meetings of the Welsh Parliament and dealing with casework on a weekly basis, my role as a Member of the Senedd also involves meeting with charities and organisations who are carrying out vital work in Wales.

Ahead of World Kidney Day 2023 on March 9th, I visited the Popham Kidney Support drop-in event in the Senedd.

Mark Isherwood MS at the Popham Kidney Support drop-in event in the Senedd

It was good to learn that the charity, which provides support to children, young people and adults with kidney disease and their families in Wales, has launched its Peer Support Service from Wrexham Maelor Hospital.

Peer support refers to support from a person who has knowledge from their own experiences with a condition. Within the context of kidney disease, peer support is support that typically comes from a person with kidney disease or a person affected by kidney disease (e.g. immediate family member or caregiver).

The Popham Kidney Support service links people living with kidney disease, to share knowledge and experiences – that health workers will not have.

It provides kidney patients with a hub of information, advice and support, complementing and enhancing other health care services by creating the emotional, social and practical assistance necessary for managing the disease and staying healthy.

I welcome the fact that a Peer Support Service is now available locally and encourage those living with kidney disease and their family to access it.

As Chair of the Welsh Parliament’s Cross-Party Group on Hospices and Palliative Care, I have long championed the incredible work that our Hospices do and repeatedly called on the Welsh Government to give them the funding they require to deliver the vital services they provide.

Mark Isherwood MS with the new CEO of Hospices UK, Toby Porter

I was therefore pleased to meet the new CEO of Hospice UK, Toby Porter, this month. Hospice UK is the charity for hospice and end of life care across the four nations of the UK, and works to ensure everyone affected by death, dying and bereavement gets the care and support they need, when they need it.

The purpose of the Cross-Party Group is to maintain and develop understanding and interest by Members of the Senedd on issues affecting people who need hospice and palliative care, in the furtherance of improving palliative and end of life care for all in Wales.

Our latest inquiry looked at experiences of palliative and end-of-life care in the community during the pandemic, revealing the difficulties experienced by dying people in Wales in getting the support they needed in their own homes, and showed that we must prioritise palliative care, to help us plan for future pandemics and meet the growing demand for end-of-life care in our communities.

March is Endometriosis Action Month, and I was pleased to attend the event in the Senedd hosted in partnership with Endometriosis UK, the UK’s largest charity supporting people affected by endometriosis, and Fair Treatment for the Women of Wales (FTWW), the only patient-led charity in Wales dedicated solely to female health equality.

Endometriosis affects 1 in 10 women and those assigned female at birth in the UK and is the second most common gynaecological health condition. Despite this, it takes an average of 9 years to get a diagnosis in Wales and, at present, the cause of endometriosis is unknown and there is no definite cure.

At the event, I met with experts in endometriosis and was provided with a briefing on the work being done in Wales to support those living with the condition.

For more information and advice visit: Ending endometriosis starts by saying it | Endometriosis UK (endometriosis-uk.org)

I also attended the drop-in-event of Tenovus Cancer Care to learn more about their campaign to raise awareness of less survivable cancers, namely, oesophageal, stomach, lung, brain, pancreatic and liver cancers. These cancers have some of the poorest survival outcomes. Despite accounting for 25% of cancer cases, the 6 cancers make up 40% of all cancer deaths in Wales.

Tenovus are now focusing more closely on oesophageal and stomach cancer, which have concerning low symptom awareness within the population. It is hoped that by shining a light on these cancers they can help reduce the death rates in Wales and ensure that people affected get the best care and support possible.

The good news is that oesophageal cancer is actually one of the more preventable types of cancer, and it is predicted that 59% of oesophageal cancer cases could be prevented by lifestyle changes such as not smoking, maintaining a healthy body weight and avoiding excessive drinking. This would save 263 lives a year in Wales.

For oesophageal cancer, earlier diagnosis mostly means ensuring that people are aware of the symptoms, which include problems swallowing, sickness, heartburn, indigestion and a hoarse voice, as well as vaguer symptoms such as fatigue and weight loss.

The most common symptoms of stomach cancer include: difficulty swallowing (dysphagia); unexplained weight loss; tummy pain; indigestion (dyspepsia) that doesn’t go away; feeling full after eating small amounts; a loss of appetite; feeling or being sick; dark poo; tiredness due to low levels of red blood cells (anaemia).

For further information and advice, visit Support and information (tenovuscancercare.org.uk)

I was pleased to attend the ‘Love Your Liver’ roadshow hosted by British Liver Trust and the Cross-Party Group on Liver Disease and Liver Cancer.

With liver disease deaths in Wales increasing by 23% in 2019-21, I fully support calls from British Liver Trust to save lives by improving early diagnosis of liver diseases across Health Boards.

I also attended a drop-in session with the Royal College of Psychiatrists, where they promoted TERMS Cymru, which is working to link up health, social care and schools across Wales. This project has the potential to save time and money for NHS Wales.

For my help, please email [email protected] or call 0300 200 7219