Health Board in South Wales declares a ‘black alert’

Health Board in Wales declares a 'black alert'

Health Board in Wales declares a 'black alert'. image: Google maps

Aneurin Bevan University Health Board in South Wales, declares a ‘black alert’, the highest possible alert

The Aneurin Bevan University Health Board in South Wales has declared a ‘business continuity incident’. This is the highest possible alert, known as a ‘black alert’.

Wales Online reported that on Tuesday evening, March 29, the health board released a statement that read, “The health board is under sustained and unprecedented pressure. Despite actions to try to stabilise our services, today we have had to declare a state of ‘business continuity’”.

“Our emergency department at the Grange University Hospital is extremely busy, and we have seen a record number of attendances, and waits to see a doctor, in some cases, are greater than 14 hours where the patient’s condition isn’t life-threatening”, it continued.

Concluding, “We have very few beds available across our hospitals to accommodate patients requiring admission. We need to ask for your support and to only attend the Grange University Hospital if it is life-threatening, or you have a serious injury”.

Such cases, they added, would include “severe breathing difficulties, severe pain or bleeding, chest pain, a suspected stroke, or serious trauma injuries, such as from a car crash. If you have a less serious injury then please visit one of our Minor Injury Units in Newport, Abergavenny, or Ystrad Mynach. If you need medical help, please think carefully about the services you choose”.

The Board also issued an urgent message that said, “If you have a loved one in hospital who is deemed medically fit to be discharged, please consider taking them home and caring for them”.

“If your loved one is medically fit to be discharged, then hospital is not the best place for them to be, they will recover better at home. If your loved one is medically fit for discharge, our staff will contact you to discuss the next steps”.

“We are asking families to help in this way because it is best for their loved one and will free up hospital beds for sick patients who need to be admitted to hospital”, as reported by mirror.co.uk.

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Written by

Chris King

Originally from Wales, Chris spent years on the Costa del Sol before moving to the Algarve where he is a web reporter for The Euro Weekly News covering international and Spanish national news. Got a news story you want to share? Then get in touch at editorial@euroweeklynews.com

Comments


    • Naimah Yianni

      30 March 2022 • 11:31

      I did 12 years in the NHS in inner London. Winter bed shortages were common and long waits were common, they always have been in the winter, across the UK. Surely anyone from the UK can recall headlines like “Winter bed crisis” having frequently been splattered across the tabloids? Google it, you will get plenty of examples from decades ago. Long waits are common as so many people turn up to A&E because they have a cold or flu some other symptom that does not actually require emergency treatment. They do this if they cannot get a same-day appontment with their GP, it´s been a problem for donkeys years. Bed shortages are common because there is never enough capcity for people who are convalescing, either because the social services/community teams have insufficient capacity or because familites do not feel able to care for family members. These patients are known as ¨bed blockers” in the trade. However the drama and headlines continue…. and of course it is all blamed on convid

      • CCW60

        30 March 2022 • 15:03

        Same where I live. So funny how people forget this is really quite normal. Here we don’t have a shortage of beds. We have a shortage or nursing staff.

    • Wyn

      30 March 2022 • 12:33

      The effect of GPs shielding themselves?

      • John Heyland

        30 March 2022 • 14:01

        I think so Wyn.

    Comments are closed.