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 BBC Wales's Jon Manel reports"Staff say they have been promised a fourth surgeon"  real 28k  |
Hospital faces surgery cutbacks
Staff at Prince Philip are under 'too much pressure'
Dyfed Powys Health Authority has been warned planned budget savings could lead to cutbacks in emergency surgery at a west Wales hospital.
A senior Assembly Member voiced separate concerns on Tuesday about a shortage of beds at the Royal Gwent Hospital, where patients were being kept waiting in corridors.
Dyfed Powys Health Authority members were told that it is heading for a deficit of almost £50m over three years.
A report by the district auditor which covers the 1998-9 financial year describes the authority's financial position as fragile and says its plans to tackle the problems fail to resolve some fundamental issues.
Hugh Evans, Director of Surgery at Prince Philip Hospital in Llanelli, told BBC Wales that a fourth surgeon is unlikely to be appointed at the hospital because of the financial problems.
A senior Assembly Member voiced separate concerns on Tuesday about a shortage of beds at the Royal Gwent Hospital, where patients were being kept waiting in corridors.
Dyfed Powys Health Authority members were told that it is heading for a deficit of almost £50m over three years.
A report by the district auditor which covers the 1998-9 financial year describes the authority's financial position as fragile and says its plans to tackle the problems fail to resolve some fundamental issues.
Hugh Evans, Director of Surgery at Prince Philip Hospital in Llanelli, told BBC Wales that a fourth surgeon is unlikely to be appointed at the hospital because of the financial problems.
We cannot put ourselves under this pressure for very much longer  |
Hugh Evans, Director of Surgery, Prince Philip Hospital
|
That would mean closing the hospital to emergency surgery one day a week and at some weekends.
The warning coincides with a report that the number of heart operations in the UK fell last year because of a shortage of intensive care beds.
Meanwhile, Liberal Democrat leader Michael German told an Assembly committee he was "shocked" to witness ambulance crews looking after patients in corridors awaiting beds.
He said the lack of beds was occurring on a "daily basis" at the Royal Gwent Hospital.
"I was very shocked by what I saw," said Mr German.
"I did not expect to see in this day and age people stacked in corridors.
"That is not the health service I want to see."
On Tuesday, Dyfed-Powys Health Authority members were told that a three year plan to try to balance the books has already begun.
Health authority chairwoman Margaret Price said the authority was "getting to grips" with the problems.
Discussions were underway with key services to reduce the deficit by £5m a year, she told BBC Wales.
A number of the problems, such as prescription costs, were being tackled.
"We will be looking at the problem service by service and there will be priorities," said Mrs Price.
Hugh Evans earlier told BBC Wales that maintaining levels of service was proving very difficult.
"The three surgeons feel very strongly that we have no alternative," he said.
"We cannot put ourselves under this pressure for very much longer.
"This is a reflection of gross underfunding that has not been tackled or gross inefficiency," he added.
Llanelli AM Helen Mary Jones said she had been pressing for the matter of the fourth surgeon to be addressed.
She claimed the issue had been ongoing since the National Assembly election campaign last spring.
The warning coincides with a report that the number of heart operations in the UK fell last year because of a shortage of intensive care beds.
Meanwhile, Liberal Democrat leader Michael German told an Assembly committee he was "shocked" to witness ambulance crews looking after patients in corridors awaiting beds.
 Surgery director Hugh Evans: Concerned
|
"I was very shocked by what I saw," said Mr German.
"I did not expect to see in this day and age people stacked in corridors.
"That is not the health service I want to see."
On Tuesday, Dyfed-Powys Health Authority members were told that a three year plan to try to balance the books has already begun.
Health authority chairwoman Margaret Price said the authority was "getting to grips" with the problems.
Discussions were underway with key services to reduce the deficit by £5m a year, she told BBC Wales.
A number of the problems, such as prescription costs, were being tackled.
"We will be looking at the problem service by service and there will be priorities," said Mrs Price.
Hugh Evans earlier told BBC Wales that maintaining levels of service was proving very difficult.
"The three surgeons feel very strongly that we have no alternative," he said.
"We cannot put ourselves under this pressure for very much longer.
"This is a reflection of gross underfunding that has not been tackled or gross inefficiency," he added.
Llanelli AM Helen Mary Jones said she had been pressing for the matter of the fourth surgeon to be addressed.
She claimed the issue had been ongoing since the National Assembly election campaign last spring.
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