Senedd Member asks health board to withdraw plans to downgrade stroke services at Bronglais Hospital

I’m very grateful to the organisers of the petition titled ‘Protect full stroke services at Bronglais Hospital; prevent downgrade to Treat and Transfer’ for gathering 17,000 names so quickly, demonstrating the level of their concern regarding the issue, which I share wholeheartedly. 

It was also great to see cross-party support for the petition in a recent Senedd debate, which sent a clear message to the Hywel Dda Health Board to reconsider this decision.

There are only two proposals on the table by the health board, and I’m hugely disappointed that another option, which would involve developing and investing in a specialised stroke unit at Bronglais Hospital to serve the mid Wales area, which has a population of about 1 million people, has not been included. 

In my opinion, not including this option of keeping a highly regarded stroke unit at Bronglais open is a failure to recognise the needs of the population of mid Wales, who must be supported in the same way as urban communities, to avoid entering a postcode lottery of differing clinical standards, which would be both unfair and unethical.

As I’ve heard many times from constituents, the distance that people would have to travel as patients and visitors is totally unacceptable, especially in areas that have no reliable public transport links. 

This makes the whole visiting process costly, time-consuming and hugely challenging for those without the resources to do so. 

Elin Jones, the local Senedd Member for Ceredigion, has raised these points on many, many occasions. I’m also aware of the role of families in that recovery process. Their encouragement to their loved ones, their help to get them dressed and washed and so on is vital, but also providing that emotional support for them to deal with the psychological impact of a stroke.

There is also the issue of the needs of Welsh speakers, which is very important in this context. My uncle, following a stroke, was assessed in English, and he had difficulty expressing himself in his second language, leading to an unreliable assessment. 

The closure of the unit in Bronglais would make it more likely that Welsh speakers who suffer strokes are sent to hospitals where those services wouldn’t be available in Welsh. It would also make it more difficult for their families, who are Welsh speaking, to help with that recovery and to be with them every day.

Anyone experiencing stroke or suspected stroke, regardless of where they live, should be seen and treated as quickly as possible in the most appropriate setting which can provide the most effective treatment they require.

This why I’m asking the Hywel Dda health board to reconsider their position and withdraw their proposals to allow for a more meaningful discussion on how to develop a bespoke plan for stroke services in mid Wales, which should be equal to that available in Llanelli or Withybush, resulting in stroke patients being treated as quickly as possible in the most appropriate setting.

Cefin Campbell, Plaid Cymru Member of the Senedd for Mid and West Wales