Fears for Neath Port Talbot Hospital services
FEARS are growing for the future of Neath Port Talbot Hospital where staff claim vital services are quietly being axed.
Residents have also voiced disquiet about what they see as the run-down of the £66 million health complex, possibly with jobs under threat, just seven years after it opened.
But health chiefs have moved to quell the concerns — saying there will be changes but insisting the hospital has a future.
An elderly rehabilitation ward at the hospital has closed for good and there have been well-publicised issues regarding the children's centre and the local accident centre.
But now staff claim the hospital is being deliberately run down.
"It is being systematically dismantled with services being withdrawn very quietly and without any publicity," said one worker.
"There is no out of hours surgical cover. Surgeons have been asked to reduce the number of operations they carry out despite the fact that the theatres here are superb."
It is also claimed medical emergencies will be treated at Morriston or Princess of Wales hospitals in future.
During an Aberavon Pact meeting this week, residents also claimed another ward was being closed at weekends, with any patients not able to go home transferred to Bridgend.
"It's been a disaster from start to finish," one resident said. "Neath hospital was far superior. They could have spent £30 million doing it up and we would have had a lot more beds.
"They're closing beds. Even the nurses don't know if they've got jobs."
Aberavon councillor Tony Taylor has now met hospital manager Karl Murray to discuss the concerns.
"He assured me that, while there are changes going on, the hospital has a viable future," Councillor Taylor told the Post.
"He was confident the hospital will thrive — it's the only one in the area with room to expand.
"There has been cause for concern, but I was quite encouraged by that."
An ABM spokesman said: "Neath Port Talbot Hospital has a key role to play in delivering our services and we recognise it is an excellent facility to provide a high standard of care.
"The range of care and treatments provided at the hospital has not changed, but the way they are delivered may have been altered for the benefit of patient care.
"For example, advances in technology and medicine, as well as rehabilitation in the community, allow us to improve outcomes for patients."
4 Comments
by Marion, Port Talbot
Thursday, November 05 2009, 7:03PM
“If any more beds are lost from Port Talbot we'll all end up in the filthy wards of Morriston and Singleton...and God help us if we are elderly!”
by Jane Ash, Port Talbot
Thursday, November 05 2009, 6:05PM
“What are the local politicians doing to stop the drip drip of services haemmorhaging from this area? And why haven't the nurses been given support to find new jobs?”
by Orecarrier, Port Talbot
Wednesday, November 04 2009, 10:24PM
“Neath was a good hospital with an emergency dept, first class maternity dept, an excellent special baby care unit and other facilities too numerous to mention. There was good surgery performed at Port Talbot and it was a brilliant teaching hospital. Now we have this hugh glass atrium, to compete with the Eden Project, and members of my family have had to be treated at Bridgend, Singleton or Morriston and that appears to be the norm with most people I have spoken to. How much silver crossed how many palms for this 'White elephant' to be foisted on us. to”
by Paul, Swansea
Wednesday, November 04 2009, 5:17PM
“If Edwina Hart gets involved and say`s it has a future, then you know its going to close. A viable future has been mentioned, that means what can be kept to balance the books and meet targets. Who is going to make the key decisions, the one on £200,000 a year, backed up by the ones on £160,000+ per year. They don`t warrant getting their greedy names mentioned.”