COMMUNITY SUPPORTS PROPOSALS FOR NEW HOSPITAL IN CAERPHILLY COUNTY BOROUGH

Caerphilly Local Health Board and Gwent Healthcare NHS Trust have confirmed that the Outline Business Case for the proposed new 266 bedded hospital for the County Borough will be considered at a joint meeting of their Board to take place on 18 November 2004. This follows extensive public consultation on the proposals, which took place between April and July of this year.

A key element of this consultation was the series of public meetings chaired by Gwent Community Health Council (CHC). Ken Perryman, Caerphilly Chair of Gwent CHC, said: “We were delighted to see so many people turn up to the public meetings to air their views. A number of the meetings were extremely well attended and gave local people an opportunity to ask questions. It is clear that there is a need for a new hospital in the Caerphilly County Borough and overwhelming support has been shown. The current hospital buildings in the County Borough have served the area well for many decades but are not suitable to house and deliver the high standard of health services that are needed to serve the area as a whole.”

Judith Paget, Chief Executive of Caerphilly Local Health Board, said: “We have worked very closely with the local community to get their views on the proposals put forward regarding a new hospital in the County Borough. The largest of our existing hospitals, Caerphilly District Miners Hospital has served the area well for the last 80 years but sadly the building is now no longer suitable for providing 21st Century healthcare services and certainly cannot help us expand the range of treatment and care provided. We are aware that there is a great deal of local feeling associated with the building and will be passing on the views expressed by residents regarding its future to the Welsh Assembly Government.”

Martin Turner, Chief Executive of Gwent Healthcare NHS Trust expressed concern over the impact that the poor standard of current hospital facilities is having on the recruitment and retention of medical, nursing and other clinical staff. “Staff want to provide the best possible care to patients, using modern technology and clean facilities – and this is becoming increasingly difficult in many of the local hospitals. We also need to increase the volume and range of clinical services available in the County Borough if we are to help existing staff maintain and develop their skills. Already the publicity around the development of a new hospital is starting to have a positive impact on our recruitment. “

Caerphilly County Borough Council has also confirmed its support for the development of a new hospital in the County Borough and wishes to be involved in discussions relating to the future use of current hospital buildings and sites. The Leader of the Council, Councillor Harry Andrews, said: “There is a need to make progress on improving health and social care services for local people and the new hospital represents a major step forward.”

Terri Davies represents the Caerphilly Youth Forum, one of the groups that have been involved in the consultation process. She said: “The issue of a new hospital in Caerphilly is of great importance to the young people of the area. We know that Caerphilly District Miners Hospital has played a major role in the past, but now it is time to look to the future and a new hospital that can serve the whole of the County Borough is definitely the way forward. However, the memory of the old hospital should not be forgotten, perhaps there could be a statue on the site commemorating the contribution that the miners and the hospital itself made to the area. All ideas should be looked at.”

Les Randle is a local resident and spent over 30 years as a miner. He said: “Eighty-one years ago the miners of this area did not donate part of their wages to build a lasting monument of brick and concrete in their name – they did it so that the latest and best medical treatments of the day could be provided for local people. Sadly the buildings that once housed these excellent services are now incapable of providing the latest technological treatments.

“Our greatest tribute to these miners is to ensure that the best and latest medical services that are available now continue in the County Borough for the people of Caerphilly. If this means housing them in a new building then so be it, but as long as the best is being provided, then what the miners did will never be forgotten,” concluded Mr Randle.