On Bank Holiday weekend, Betsi Cadwaladr Health Board issued a black alert due to “extreme pressure” at emergency departments in North Wales.
This is extremely serious and means that waits are even longer and more people are going without treatment.
It’s the sign of a Health Board under immense strain and pressure. Issuing a black alert frankly means that hospitals are unable to cope.
That feeling is a regular occurrence for us in North Wales. Despite the hard work of doctors, nurses and many others, the system is regularly overwhelmed due to systemic problems.
Recently, a member of the public, who has terminal cancer, wrote to me with his experiences at a hospital in North Wales.
He attended A&E with a letter from his GP to secure a bed on a ward, but the hospital refused this and put him in the A&E waiting room, where he waited for 11 hours. By midnight, he was told to go home. The next day he had a very similar experience, waiting more than 12 hours.
That’s no way for someone to be treated, particularly someone with terminal cancer – but we keep seeing stories like this across the region.
In February, a patient almost had the wrong toe removed during surgery, and a new mother was mistakenly fitted with a contraceptive coil after a caesarean section.
On another occasion, a woman died after medical notes which referred her for more testing were lost, with the coroner then outlining concerns that no lessons appear to have been learned by staff despite this tragedy.
An entire article could be filled with stories like these. Behind each one is an individual who has been maltreated, and has had their life made worse or even brought to an end.
I was pleased that Carol Shillabeer, Chief Executive of the Health Board, admitted that “significant improvements are required to ensure that people across North Wales consistently receive the safe and high quality care that they should expect.”
There’s no use anyone burying their head in the sand over this.
Health in Wales is the responsibility of the Labour-run Welsh Government in Cardiff Bay, and has been since 1999. As with most public services, it seems that North Wales gets a particularly raw deal compared with other parts of Wales – and it’s not like waiting lists are low in West Wales or the Valleys!
Betsi going in and out of special measures is a clear example of us getting a raw deal, and I am worried that the Health Minister in Cardiff doesn’t have a plan to get us out of this mess.
As it stands, the Welsh Government underspends on health. They get £1.20 from the UK Government for every £1 spent on public services in England, yet Cardiff Labour don’t spend that full £1.20 on health.
I know that readers will be shocked by that. Spending the full amount of money would make a big difference for us in North Wales.
As the new Shadow Minister for Health in the Senedd, fighting for that money is a big part of my job – but as much as money will help, Wales needs a proper plan aimed at improving all aspects of the NHS. That ranges from recruitment and retention of staff to new innovations in healthcare technology – can you believe that parts of the NHS in Wales still use fax machines!?
When you see other healthcare systems implementing Artificial Intelligence solutions to combat longstanding health issues, it’s no wonder that the Welsh NHS is in such a mess when we’re relying on fax machines!
Labour’s chronic underfunding also means that Betsi Cadwaladr Health Board can’t fulfil everything it needs to – for example, more than £1m a month is spent sending mental health patients out of the area for treatment this year.
That means, in the first three months of this year, more than £3.5m was spent on sending mental health patients out of our area; when you don’t have the robust plans in place to begin with, you have to spend even more money cleaning up the mess further down the line. In this case, not having appropriate mental health care in North Wales to begin with means those vulnerable people are being sent elsewhere at considerable expense and at the risk of further pressure on their mental health.
In health, as in everything else, prevention is better than cure.
As ever, if you have any queries or issues you’d like to raise with me, then you can get in touch with me by emailing [email protected].
Barn Sam Rowlands – Wrexham.com
Ar benwythnos Gŵyl y Banc, cyhoeddodd Bwrdd Iechyd Betsi Cadwaladr rybudd du oherwydd "pwysau eithafol" mewn adrannau brys yng Ngogledd Cymru.
Mae hon yn sefyllfa ddifrifol iawn ac mae'n golygu bod arosiadau hyd yn oed yn hirach a bod mwy o bobl yn mynd heb driniaeth.
Mae'n arwydd o Fwrdd Iechyd o dan straen a phwysau aruthrol. Mae cyhoeddi rhybudd du yn golygu nad yw ysbytai'n gallu ymdopi.
Mae'r teimlad hwnnw'n ddigwyddiad rheolaidd i ni yn y Gogledd. Er gwaethaf gwaith caled meddygon, nyrsys a llawer o bobl eraill, mae'r system yn sigo dan y pwysau yn rheolaidd oherwydd problemau systemig.
Yn ddiweddar, ysgrifennodd aelod o'r cyhoedd, sydd â chanser angheuol, ataf gyda'i brofiadau mewn ysbyty yn y Gogledd.
Aeth i adrannau damweiniau ac achosion brys gyda llythyr gan ei feddyg teulu i sicrhau gwely ar ward, ond gwrthododd yr ysbyty hyn a'i roi yn yr ystafell aros damweiniau ac achosion brys, lle arhosodd am 11 awr. Erbyn hanner nos, dywedwyd wrtho am fynd adref. Y diwrnod canlynol cafodd brofiad tebyg iawn, gan aros mwy na 12 awr.
Dyw hynny ddim yn ffordd o drin rhywun, yn enwedig rhywun â chanser angheuol - ond rydyn ni'n dal i glywed straeon fel hyn ar draws y rhanbarth.
Ym mis Chwefror, bu bron i glaf golli bys troed anghywir yn ystod llawdriniaeth, a chafodd mam newydd coil atal cenhedlu heb fod ei angen ar ôl toriad Cesaraidd.
Ar achlysur arall, bu farw menyw ar ôl i nodiadau meddygol a'i cyfeiriodd am fwy o brofion gael eu colli, gyda'r crwner wedyn yn amlinellu pryderon nad yw'n ymddangos bod unrhyw wersi wedi cael eu dysgu gan staff er gwaetha'r drasiedi hon.
Gellir llenwi erthygl gyfan gyda straeon fel hyn. Yn ganolbwynt i bob stori mae unigolyn sydd wedi cael ei gam-drin, gyda’i fywyd wedi gwaethygu neu hyd yn oed wedi dod i ben.
Roeddwn i’n falch bod Carol Shillabeer, Prif Weithredwr y Bwrdd Iechyd, wedi cyfaddef bod "angen gwelliannau sylweddol i sicrhau bod pobl ledled Gogledd Cymru yn derbyn y gofal diogel o ansawdd uchel y dylent ei ddisgwyl yn gyson."
Does dim pwynt cuddio rhag hyn.
Llywodraeth Cymru sy'n cael ei rhedeg gan Lafur ym Mae Caerdydd, ers 1999, sy’n gyfrifol am iechyd yng Nghymru. Fel gyda'r rhan fwyaf o wasanaethau cyhoeddus, mae'n ymddangos bod Gogledd Cymru'n cael bargen wael o'i gymharu â rhannau eraill o Gymru – a dyw hi ddim fel bod rhestrau aros yn isel yng Ngorllewin Cymru na'r Cymoedd!
Mae’r ffaith fod Betsi mewn ac allan o fesurau arbennig yn enghraifft glir ohonom yn cael trin yn annheg, ac rwy'n poeni nad oes gan y Gweinidog Iechyd yng Nghaerdydd gynllun i'n cael ni allan o'r llanast yma.
Fel y mae pethau, dyw Llywodraeth Cymru ddim yn gwario digon ar iechyd. Maen nhw'n cael £1.20 gan Lywodraeth y DU am bob £1 sy'n cael ei wario ar wasanaethau cyhoeddus yn Lloegr, ac eto nid yw Llafur Caerdydd yn gwario'r £1.20 llawn hwnnw ar iechyd.
Rwy'n gwybod y bydd darllenwyr yn synnu at hynny. Byddai gwario'r swm llawn o arian yn gwneud gwahaniaeth mawr i ni yng Ngogledd Cymru.
Fel Gweinidog Iechyd yr Wrthblaid newydd yn y Senedd, mae brwydro am yr arian hwnnw yn rhan fawr o'm swydd - ond cymaint ag y bydd arian yn helpu, mae angen cynllun priodol ar Gymru sydd â'r nod o wella pob agwedd ar y GIG. Mae hynny'n amrywio o recriwtio a chadw staff i arloesiadau newydd mewn technoleg gofal iechyd - a allwch chi gredu bod rhannau o'r GIG yng Nghymru yn dal i ddefnyddio peiriannau ffacs!?
Pan welwch systemau gofal iechyd eraill yn gweithredu datrysiadau Deallusrwydd Artiffisial i fynd i'r afael â phroblemau iechyd hirsefydlog, dyw hi ddim yn syndod bod GIG Cymru mewn cymaint o lanast pan fyddwn yn dibynnu ar beiriannau ffacs!
Mae tanariannu cronig Llafur hefyd yn golygu na all Bwrdd Iechyd Betsi Cadwaladr gyflawni popeth sydd angen iddo ei wneud- er enghraifft, mae dros £1m y mis wedi’i wario ar anfon cleifion iechyd meddwl allan o'r ardal i gael triniaeth eleni.
Mae hynny'n golygu, yn nhri mis cyntaf eleni, y gwariwyd dros £3.5m ar anfon cleifion iechyd meddwl allan o'n hardal; pan nad oes gennych chi’r cynlluniau cadarn ar waith i ddechrau, mae'n rhaid i chi wario hyd yn oed mwy o arian yn glanhau'r llanast yn ddiweddarach. Yn yr achos hwn, mae peidio â chael gofal iechyd meddwl priodol yng Ngogledd Cymru i ddechrau, yn golygu bod y bobl hynny sy'n agored i niwed yn cael eu hanfon i rywle arall am gost sylweddol gyda’r perygl o bwysau pellach ar eu hiechyd meddwl.
Ym maes iechyd, fel ym mhopeth arall, mae atal yn well na gwella.
Fel erioed, os oes gennych chi unrhyw ymholiadau neu faterion yr hoffech chi eu codi gyda mi, yna gallwch gysylltu â mi drwy e-bostio [email protected].
