UNISON is calling on the Welsh government to intervene over the chaos and confusion being caused over whether or not orthopaedic elective surgery in the Hywel Dda health board is to be cancelled or continued.
Last week, the union wrote to the Welsh government health minister to complain about the decision by the Hywel Dda health board to cancel all elective orthopaedic surgery across the area until April 2014.
UNISON claims that there is already a 15-month waiting list for elective orthopaedic surgery, including hip and knee replacements, and that the cancellation of the service is likely to add a further five to six months waiting time for patients waiting for surgery at hospitals including Prince Philip Hospital, Llanelli, and Withybush hospital in Pembrokeshire.
UNISON members attended a mass meeting held with staff at Prince Philip Hospital, where senior management confirmed that all elective orthopaedic surgery across Hywel Dda will be discontinued from 21 November 2013 and will recommence in April of next year.
The senior management also confirmed that when the ward at Prince Philip Hospital is closed, beds will remain empty and there will be a transfer of around 50 members of staff to other hospital settings.
Despite these actions, UNISON has received a response from health minister Mark Drakeford insisting that all elective surgery is not being cancelled and that there is only a proposal to reduce the number of surgical inpatient beds to cope with additional winter emergencies.
UNISON Hywel Dda branch secretary Wendy Evans said: “How can this be to do with gaining additional beds for winter emergencies? When the orthopaedic ward at Prince Philip closes, beds will remain empty and staff will be transferred to other hospitals.”
UNISON regional organiser Jeff Baker added: ”Staff are completely confused and demoralised. They are hearing from their senior managers that the surgery is being cancelled and are facing redeployment, but at the same time, the health minister believes that this is not happening.
“As well as causing disruption to staff, this situation is bound to be causing further anxiety for patients on the waiting list.
“We have written again to the health minister, and have called on him to intervene and find out exactly what is going on in order to put an end to this unnecessary distress and confusion.”
