The Party of Wales Arfon Standing up for the people of Arfon

Plaid Cymru Arfon AM Siân Gwenllian and MP Hywel Williams have indicated that the campaign to secure essential vascular services at Ysbyty Gwynedd has been successful.

Emergency and In-patient vascular care are set to continue at Bangor, despite earlier concerns that the Board wished to centralise the service away from Ysbyty Gwynedd.

Both Siân Gwenllian AM & Hywel Williams MP backed local campaigners who claimed the essential service was in jeopardy and that the drift of services eastwards from Ysbyty Gwynedd had to be halted. A petition was launched and the issue was raised by both Siân Gwenllian in the Senedd and Hywel Williams during Prime Minister’s Questions in Westminster.
Sian Gwenllian AM said she was confident that recommendations about the future of the service will soon be endorsed by the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board.
The recommendations state that Ysbyty Gwynedd will continue to provide vascular outpatient clinics, pre-operative assessment, diagnostics, and day case surgery including vascular access for patients requiring haemodialysis and the hospital will have full support for emergency patients and in-patients.
Whilst building upon and protecting the excellent lower limb services already provided from Ysbyty Gwynedd, patients with diseases of the lower limbs will be managed at both Ysbyty Glan Clwyd and the limb salvage centre at Ysbyty Gwynedd; with provision for elective and emergency admissions and in-patient treatments at both sites.
Specialist diabetic foot and leg ulcer services based at Ysbyty Gwynedd will expand further to include a network of clinics serving the whole of North Wales. Ysbyty Glan Clwyd, Bodelwyddan, will be the single centre for the major radiological and surgical interventions for patients with carotid and abdominal aortic aneurysm disease.
Siân Gwenllian AM said,
‘This is fantastic news for North West Wales and shows how important it was to campaign vigorously to retain the world renowned vascular service in Ysbyty Gwynedd. Plaid Cymru will always fight for Ysbyty Gwynedd and resist Labour’s attempts to centralise services away from Bangor.
‘Following a similar campaign we successfully resisted attempts to move full maternity services away from Bangor. Now we are set to see success with the vascular campaign. We’ll continue to be vigilant and campaign, not only to safeguard but also develop Ysbyty Gwynedd.’
‘Added to this our campaign for a Medical School for Bangor is gaining tremendous momentum. The health care needs of the people of our constituency are always of paramount importance to Hywel and myself.’
Hywel Williams MP said,

‘This is a telling victory for the campaign to secure the future of vascular services at Ysbyty Gwynedd which has a local reputation and an international one for the excellence of its results.’

‘Quality and safety are the cornerstones of healthcare provision and both of these would have been significantly compromised had the well-established in-patient and emergency vascular services at Ysbyty Gwynedd been removed.’

‘Any attempt at removing services from Ysbyty Gwynedd would put the lives of those who live in more isolated communities and difficult geographical locations in unnecessary jeopardy. We must continue to campaign to retain the status of Ysbyty Gwynedd.’