Welsh Lib Dems Respond to Record-Breaking Emergency Department Attendances

Responding to the latest NHS Wales performance figures, which saw the highest number of emergency department attendances on record for Wales, Welsh Liberal Democrat Leader Jane Dodds MS said:

“These figures show just how stretched our NHS has become, with record A&E attendances in the middle of summer showing that extreme pressure is no longer confined to winter.

“Our NHS staff continue to work incredibly hard, but they cannot keep compensating for a system without enough capacity. The Welsh Government must strengthen primary and community care so people get help before reaching crisis point, while investing in social care to tackle delayed discharges and free up hospital beds. Yet in Powys, social care beds are themselves under threat of cuts.

“We also need to adapt our NHS to increasingly warm summers. The Welsh Liberal Democrats have called for an emergency programme to roll out air conditioning across hospitals and care homes, protecting vulnerable patients as well as staff working long shifts in increasingly hot conditions.”

ENDS