North Wales Hospitals Postpone Non-Urgent Surgery

Hospitals across North Wales have today postponed all non-urgent surgery for a week due to ‘increased pressure’.

The announcement affects the Wrexham Maelor Hospital, Ysbyty Gwynedd in Bangor and Glan Clwyd hospital until Monday the 27th of January.

However urgent operations will continue, such as operations for those with cancer, as will orthopedic and eye surgeries in Abergele Hospital.

Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCUHB) have said they are reviewing the situation on a daily basis.

In a statement BCUHB said: “As part of our normal escalation procedures for dealing with such pressures, the health board has therefore decided to reduce routine planned surgery at the three hospitals for this week.”

Over the past few days the Health Board has seen an increase in frail and elderly patients who are having to stay on hospital wards longer. This has resulted in an increased pressure on beds.

Last night one person contacted us on Twitter to say that A&E at the Maelor was ‘chaos’, and that she had to sit on the floor with her four-year-old. She added that paramedics were coming round to the people in the queue, which went through the door.

Commenting on Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board’s announcement, Aled Roberts, Assembly Member for North Wales, said: “This announcement is very worrying. The Welsh Labour Government had previously said that it was confident that winter plans were in place. However, these plans are not holding up well at all. This is yet further evidence that Betsi Cadwaladr health board is under an immense amount of pressure and that it is really struggling.

“Recent figures have shown that Betsi Cadwaladr is the worst performing health board in Wales with regards to patient waiting times. Many patients are already waiting too long until they receive treatment, it’s therefore a concern that many will now have to wait even longer. This announcement has been very sudden. It is essential that if the health board is considering extending the suspension of services beyond next Monday, then patients are informed as soon as possible.

“Not only is Betsi Cadwaladr the worst performing health board on waiting times, but this is a problem that has been growing every month since March of last year – there has been a 7% increase in those waiting for more than 6 months and a 4% increase for those waiting over 9 months in the most recent figures released last week for November 2013.

“With over 4,330 patients waiting more than 9 months until treatment in the Betsi Cadwaladr area, which is roughly 30% of the figure for the whole of Wales, there clearly is a major problem in the North which can only grow significantly after the cancellation of all non-emergency operations this week.

“There seems little chance of meeting the Welsh Government’s target of having just 5% waiting more than six months for treatment and nobody waiting over 9 months.”