Serious brain ops taken out of Morriston
HEALTH bosses have confirmed that serious operations on the brain will no longer take place in Swansea.
Instead, anyone requiring complex inter-cranial surgery will be transferred to Cardiff's University Hospital (UHW).
The move was confirmed yesterday after reports into Welsh neuroscience services were published.
While complex operations will no longer take place at Morriston Hospital, health chiefs insist that the move is good news for Swansea, as it is recommended that Morriston's A&E department has a new CT scanner which will maintain its Major Trauma Centre status and more spinal surgery operations will take place there.
Health Minister Edwina Hart confirmed the changes in a letter to AMs.
She said: "The plans will allow surgeons to sub- specialise, increasing their expertise and services, which will improve the outcome for patients."
NHS Wales chief executive Paul Williams said neuroscience centres at Morriston Hospital and the UHW will both be maintained.
He said: "Surgeons at both centres have been working closely since July and this will be maintained. Complex inter-cranial neurosurgery will continue at the University Hospital of Wales but any pre and post-operative care will be carried out at Morriston.
"However, more patients from Mid and West Wales who require spinal surgery will go to Morriston instead of travelling to UHW as at present."
The original plans to centralise the neurosurgery service in Cardiff, put forward in 2006 by Health Commission Wales, sparked a major protest.
A celebrity-supported petition, set up by the Evening Post, saw 105,537 people get behind the campaign. But the latest news has not pleased those who battled to retain neuroservices in the city.
Val Taylor, who took part in organising the petition, said that despite the assurances, she had "no confidence that neurosurgery would remain" in Swansea in the long term.
She said: "If you have got a serious brain injury, you have got two hours to get them into theatre. It is 40 minutes from Swansea to Cardiff on a good day."
Consultant neurosurgeon Rupert Kett White said the service review was overdue. He defended the switch in brain surgery to Cardiff and said the travelling distance would not impact on the service.
He said: "The statistics show that the average time from attending hospital to entering into surgery is over six hours." He added that the extra time to get to Cardiff "doesn't represent a huge extra delay".
Lil Hopkin, one of the driving forces behind the campaign, said yesterday's announcement was not the best news for Swansea, but "it does not close the door" for bringing services back to the city.
She said: "I don't know how people from West Wales will feel about it.
"Our people will have an hour to go to get to Cardiff. In a way I am not too happy about it, but if this is the only way that we can keep the neurosurgery in Swansea, then so be it.
"If it doesn't work then we can make another approach. The problem is they haven't got the doctors for two sites."
In July this year it was announced that emergency operations for people with severe head injuries would not be carried out in Swansea for the foreseeable future. Those needing complex brain surgery were sent to UHW.
Health bosses say no delays in care have been reported since then.
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by Robert, Morriston
Sunday, October 18 2009, 2:53PM
“I will seek talks with the new first minister and look again at this issue to see if there is a way to bring the service back quickly. The people of Swnasea deserve better.”
by benjamin, West wales
Sunday, October 18 2009, 2:39PM
“The Arc of morality is long and it bends towards justice.”
by Joan B, St Thomas
Sunday, October 18 2009, 2:18PM
“Edwina has 3 days to get my vote by stating that FULL LEVEL 1 trauma will be available at Morriston .The report is only a temp fix until the FULL all weather heli pad is up and operational.Well done to ROB STEWART for championing the just,common sense and equitable solution for Neurosurgery .Rob Stewart next AM for Swansea EAST.!! Well done again and Morriston needs it's Christmas lights back from these hapless skint Lib Dems who only pilfered the rubbish ones for the City centre from their cronies in CAAAAERDIIFFF!!UGGGH!!kapow German /Black days from Swansea for ever.”
by Paul Jones, Swansea
Sunday, October 18 2009, 12:00PM
“Yet more lies from the mouth of Edwina Hart. Timing is critical for effective treatment of serious head injuries. So Edwina, tell us all how west wales will be better served from cardiff, a hospital with no helipad and quite someway from the M4. To save money, which is the reason for this, look at the top heavy management structure in the NHS and wastage, don`t play with peoples lives to balance the books.”
by Cllr. Rob Stewart, Morriston
Sunday, October 18 2009, 9:08AM
“I think this decision is wrong and. Moiriston hospital is being redeveloped into a important regional centre. I will continue to fight to get Neurosuergery back to Morriston Hospital”
by ian, swansea
Saturday, October 17 2009, 8:08PM
“what's next on cardiff's hitlist ?
they've already had the milleniumn stadium, senedd, wales millenium centre, barrage, cricket ground, children's hospital, neurology unit, to name just a few.
surely cardiff is close to england where as swansea is more central in wales. so the argument is lots of things should be in swansea but the political will is to put them all in cardiff.”
by Roger, Brynmill
Saturday, October 17 2009, 7:29PM
“Here we go again, something good in Swansea so we must steal it and move it to Cardiff.
I just can't understand why people can't see what's happening, it's in the perfect place where it is so that the people of west Wales and the people of east Wales have a equal distance to travel, moving it to Cardiff moves it leaves a big part of Wales inconvenienced. Where are the AM's that the people of Swansea voted in, they should be standing up playing hell, but all they do is lick the assembly's backside.
No wonder the majority of Wales is in poverty, it all goes east.”
by Dave, Cardiffs little neighbour
Saturday, October 17 2009, 2:51PM
“Further proof that the sick joke that is the Welsh Assembly (I will not use the term Government, as they are not one) is just the old Cardiff based Quangos re-badged as a demi-official body!
What has the assembly actually done:
1. Free prescriptions - At the cost of better healthcare, hence the vast majority of treatments available in England are not available in Wales.
2. Free parking in Hospitals - even though only the Heath now has the services that ALL of our major hospitals should have.
3. Promoted the Welsh Language - A language that is so dilapidated that when new things are invented, it takes the English word and replaces the U's for W's.
Face it, natures role is to evolve, so what happens to Wales, it devolves, and (if you don't live in Cardiff) you lose everything you've ever had as a community!”
by Ray Welsby, Clase Morriston
Saturday, October 17 2009, 2:32PM
“It is a sad occassion to read that we are losing the neuro-surgery from Morriston to Cardiff. I have to go back a number of years when I took part in fund raising for a lazer to traet brain tumors at Morriston hospital, because my late wife was treated thier. My late wife was the first person to be treated at Morriston by lazer for a brain tumor and they borrowed the lazer from London because she was to ill to be moved. So I hope our "POLITICIANS" never find themselves in the same position as my late wife and shame on the lot of you who took this decision.”
by anon, swansea
Saturday, October 17 2009, 1:53PM
“is this a failure of the welsh assembly or nhs trusts for not recruiting enough doctors to sustain these two sites or has swansea been deliberately rundown ?”