Vale of Clwyd MP Dr James Davies has made another impassioned plea for the Labour Welsh Government to prioritise the proposed redevelopment of the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Rhyl and reach a positive decision on the Full Business Case as a matter of urgency.
In May, James wrote to the Welsh Health Minister criticising the eight-year lack of progress on the development of the North Denbighshire Community Hospital, on the Royal Alexandra Hospital site in Rhyl, and called on Ministers in Cardiff Bay to progress the development.
Five months on there has still been no progress, prompting James to send a further letter, this time to the First Minister, Mark Drakeford, outlining the dire state of health services in North Wales and the desperate need for this new facility.
In the letter, James describes the local health situation as “grave” and tells the First Minister it is “resulting in unnecessary harm and loss of life”.
His letter states:
“Earlier this year I wrote to Baroness Eluned Morgan to reiterate the importance of progressing the proposed redevelopment of The Royal Alexandra Hospital in Rhyl.
“As you will be aware, discussions relating to the transformation of this site have been ongoing since 2014. Whilst I acknowledge that the scope of the project was perhaps greater than initially thought, I feel that eight years without any significant progress is totally unacceptable.
“The publication of the recent Healthcare Inspectorate Wales report into the Emergency Department at Ysbyty Glan Clwyd provides the latest in a long run of evidence of the dire situation my constituents are often faced with when attempting to access health care.
“The reality in North Wales is that we are seeing services unable to cope, with friends and family waiting inordinate times to receive diagnosis and treatment; accounts of poor-quality care; patients being discharged too soon; and demoralised and exhausted staff.
“The local situation is grave and is resulting in unnecessary harm and loss of life. It is clear that until infrastructure, both physical and digital, is improved, it is unlikely to recover.
“The development of the Royal Alexandra site would provide a much-needed minor injuries unit, alleviating some of the pressure on the Emergency Department at the district general hospital, as well as on other departments. Furthermore, it would provide community beds which would help facilitate more timely discharges from Glan Clwyd.
“I recall ten years ago as a then county councillor, calling for Chatsworth House Community Hospital in Prestatyn not to close until a replacement such as this were up and running. Fundamentally, it is vital to assist the improvement of the quality and safety of local healthcare services.
“Despite the fact that health has been devolved to Cardiff Bay for nearly a quarter of a century, it is the most dominant issue in my inbox as a Member of Parliament. I hear harrowing stories from constituents and staff on an almost daily basis.
“The residents of North Wales deserve better and I urge Welsh Government to prioritise this development and reach a positive decision on the Full Business Case as a matter of urgency.”
James added:
“This situation simply cannot continue. It was hoped that the Welsh Government would release capital funding to begin the construction in December 2021, but this did not materialise, and we have since been told there is a chance it could not go ahead at all.
“The Health Minister has blamed “significant pressures across NHS Wales schemes” and warned that “difficult choices will need to, and are being made”. However, having obtained health capital budget figures for both Wales and England for comparison, I am not convinced this response stands up to scrutiny.
“As I have told the First Minister, the constituents in the Vale of Clwyd deserve better than this, and it is vital that the Welsh Government get their priorities right.
“I will now await the First Minister’s response, but I can assure the people of North Wales that I will not stop pushing until they get the health services they deserve.”
