Agenda item - Notice of Motion

This item is to receive any Notices of Motion. One has been received and is attached.

That the Notice of Motion from Councillors Attridge, Brown, Ellis and Hardcastle, which included the amendment proposed by Councillor Roberts, be supported.

Prior to the Notice of Motion being introduced, the Deputy Monitoring Officer explained that a response to the Notice of Motion had been received from the Chief Executive of Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board which he would read out once the Notice of Motion had been introduced.

Councillor Attridge explained that the Notice of Motion was in the names of himself, Councillors Brown, Ellis and Hardcastle.

Councillor Ellis introduced the Notice of Motion as follows:

“We call on Welsh Government to make BCUHB accountable in their care of patients and staff. After many years in so called Special Measures the crisis with the District Hospitals remains a worry.

A twelve hour wait at Wrexham Maelor is not unusual it’s the normal wait time. People lying on trolleys waiting to go into Majors is normal. Waiting for beds to move patients out of A and E to the Wards is impossible as there are no beds. No beds no sheets no pillows no Doctors and Nursing Staff cut.

Staff are under growing pressure and have been heard to say they are fearful of the situation getting worse as the Hospitals cannot cope with the numbers such as two Doctors to see eighty patients in A and E with a staff reduced from 15 to 12. We feel people may be put at risk due to lack of provision. Ambulance Personnel unable to sign over patients to the A and E staff as there is no room.

Flintshire has a growing population the LDP shows the growth we can expect, however Health provision is not keeping up it cannot cope Flintshire needs more GP’s, more Nurses and Consultants and surely in this day and age a sick person should be able to have a bed with a pillow and blanket and been seen in a reasonable time by a Doctor. In short this County needs its own Hospital”.

She added that in 2008 many Members from across the Chamber had been against the introduction of Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCUHB) and had fought hard against the closure of community hospitals. The current situation proved that view was right. She said BCUHB had been in special measures for almost 5 years, that it was too big and could not be managed. She had been inundated with calls from residents across the county outlining their experiences and concerns. She commented on the reducing staff numbers, the lack of pillows and blankets, beds not being available and basic provision of food and drink not being made available to people who had been waiting for up to 24 hours. She felt the residents of Flintshire were being let down and called for a hospital within the county.

Councillors Brown and Attridge spoke in support of the views expressed by Councillor Ellis, with Councillor Attridge providing details of his own personal experiences at the Wrexham Maelor Hospital.

The Deputy Monitoring Officer read out the response from BCUHB.

Councillor Roberts said it was distressing to hear the examples being given across the Chamber and concurred that the performance of BCUHB was getting worse. He proposed an amendment to the Notice of Motion, which removed the words “In short this County needs its own Hospital” from the last sentence, and added in the following:

In responding to this Notice of Motion, we can all recognise that these can be emotive issues. We know that all public services are under a great deal of pressure, and need support. But, there are some fundamental questions which now need to be asked.

Flintshire County Council should call on Welsh Government to urgently review the following issues:

1. Is there sufficient capacity in Wrexham Maelor, Glan Clwyd and the Countess of Chester hospital?

2. Does Flintshire need a district General Hospital of its own?

3. Why is the performance of A and E so poor in the Betsi Cadwaladr Health Board in comparison to the rest of Wales?

4. What measures can be put in place to urgently improve the performance of A and E by way of GP walk in centres, extended hours at minor injury units, improved access to GPs and improved community services?

5. What is the level of investment that Welsh Government will be providing for patients in North Wales to stabilise and then improve performance?

I move that we formally send these concerns to Vaughan Gething, the Minister for Health and Social Services.

The amendment was seconded by Councillor McGuill. Councillor Ellis, as mover of the Notice of Motion, accepted the amendment which became the substantive Notice of Motion.

Councillors Peers, Gladys Healey, Rosetta Dolphin, Andy Williams, Richard Jones, McGuill, Butler, Bithell, Hinds, Gay and Carver all spoke in support of the Notice of Motion with many providing examples of personal experiences.

Councillor McGuill said the problems started with people not being able to access GP appointments and she suggested that BCUHB look at the provisions in the community hospitals in Mold, Holywell and Deeside and consider keeping them open from 7am – midnight, 7 days a week with X-Ray facilities being available at each one. She advised Members that there was a special meeting of Social and Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee on 10^th February where BCUHB would be in attendance. She urged Members to forward any questions to her so they could be considered at the meeting.

The Chief Executive explained that the primary reason for the special Social and Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting was following the problems the previous year with contractual arrangements with the Countess of Chester Hospital. Since receiving the Notice of Motion, BCUHB had also been asked to address the concerns at the same meeting. For that meeting, he suggested the following for the agenda:

(1) to provide assurance over contractual arrangements with the Countess of Chester Hospital and service continuity;

(2) to provide a response to the Notice of Motion being considered today; and (3) to consider questions submitted by Members in advance of the meeting.

Social and Health Care Overview and Scrutiny could then discuss the situation over a number of meetings and then produce a report to be sent to BCUHB and the Minister.

On being put to the vote, the amended Notice of Motion, as below, was carried.

BETSI CADWALADER UNIVERSITY HEALTH BOARD (BCUHB) CRISIS

We call on Welsh Government to make BCUHB accountable in their care of patients and staff. After many years in so called Special Measures the crisis with the District Hospitals remains a worry.

A twelve hour wait at Wrexham Maelor is not unusual it’s the normal wait time. People lying on trolleys waiting to go into Majors is normal. Waiting for beds to move patients out of A and E to the Wards is impossible as there are no beds. No beds no sheets no pillows no Doctors and Nursing Staff cut.

Staff are under growing pressure and have been heard to say they are fearful of the situation getting worse as the Hospitals cannot cope with the numbers such as two Doctors to see eighty patients in A and E with a staff reduced from 15 to 12. We feel people may be put at risk due to lack of provision. Ambulance Personnel unable to sign over patients to the A and E staff as there is no room.

Flintshire has a growing population the LDP shows the growth we can expect, however Health provision is not keeping up it cannot cope Flintshire needs more GP’s, more Nurses and Consultants and surely in this day and age a sick person should be able to have a bed with a pillow and blanket and been seen in a reasonable time by a Doctor.