Powys Health Charter will hold NHS to account

Two prominent Powys councillors have published their health charter which they are calling ‘a bold and sensible approach for better healthcare in Mid Wales’.

Plaid Cymru Group leader Cllr Elwyn Vaughan and Cllr Joy Jones, the Powys Poverty Champion, have joined forces to develop their Powys Patients Health Charter.

They said in a statement: “After listening to patients, staff and paramedics we have prepared this Health Charter as a positive constructive attempt to highlight some of the challenges that face our communities and of the range of actions that need to happen to make things better.

“Over the coming months we will be highlighting these needs, pressing those in authority and raising awareness of the issues and working with residents, after all our residents deserve action.

“Today we publish the first phase of proposed action points and will be working with patients and our communities in expanding on these in the coming weeks. Over time we intend to propose a range of positive actions which will put the health of our communities first and alleviate some of the concerns that exist at present.

Here is their Health Charter:

A Bold and Sensible Call for Better Healthcare in Mid Wales

Healthcare in Mid Wales and Powys is failing patients. Long waiting times, inadequate services, and systemic neglect have left communities struggling to access essential care. This charter exposes failures and demands strong, sensible solutions to ensure fair, high-quality healthcare

1. Improve Awareness and Access to NHS 111 Wales in Powys - Many patients do not know how to access NHS 111 Wales, leaving them without vital medical advice. The service must be better promoted, with stronger links between Shropdoc and NHS 111 to ensure effective GP out-of-hours care in Powys.
2. Protect and Improve Stroke Services at Bronglais Hospital - Bronglais Hospital serves a vast area, yet its stroke unit remains vulnerable. Services must be protected and expanded, ensuring rapid response, specialist care, and rehabilitation resources to give patients the best chance of recovery.
3. Tackle Welsh Ambulance Shortages and A&E Delays - Ambulances wait hours outside hospitals, unable to offload patients due to A&E bottlenecks. Emergency care must be expanded, hospital discharge processes streamlined, and staffing levels increased to prevent these life-threatening delays.
4. Stop the Wastage of NHS Appointments - Thousands of NHS appointments are missed every month, while desperate patients struggle to be seen. A robust system must be implemented to reassign missed slots, ensuring NHS resources are used efficiently.
5. Build the North Powys Health and Wellbeing Campus Without Delay - Patients have waited long enough. The North Powys Health and Wellbeing Campus in Newtown must be fast-tracked, ensuring timely completion and access to urgent care, diagnostics, and essential medical services. Continued delays are unacceptable.
6. Introduce a Dedicated Hospital Transfer Ambulance at Bronglais - Ambulances are stretched. A dedicated hospital transfer service at Bronglais must be established to prevent unnecessary strain on community ambulances. This would relieve ambulances in our communities to respond to urgent needs thus ensuring patients aren’t left waiting hours for emergency transport.
7. Strengthen Community Hospitals to Reduce Overcrowding - District General Hospitals are overwhelmed, with patients stuck in beds due to social care failures. Community hospitals must be properly funded and equipped to support recovery, ensuring that beds in major hospitals are freed up and ambulance queues eliminated.
8. Replicate Out-of-Hours Medication Access Models - Patients in Mid Wales struggle to access urgent medication when pharmacies are closed. The successful Dolgellau out-of-hours medication access model must be replicated across market towns, ensuring no-one is left without critical medication.