ShareSam Davies Ward
Closure threatened Barry Hospital Sam Davies Ward earns reprieve, regional organiser Andrew Woodman quoted, Barry & District News
Sam Davies Ward, Barry Hospital
Cardiff & Vale UHB outlines its Barry Hospital and Llandough Hospital proposals following consultation, branch chair Stuart Egan quoted Barry & District News. The same story appeared in the Penarth Times.
PEOPLE POWER WINS REPRIEVE FOR THREATENED BARRY HOSPITAL WARD
Healthcare workers at Barry Hospital are ecstatic after learning their campaigning efforts have won a reprieve for the threatened Sam Davies Ward.
Cardiff and Vale University Health Board wanted to close the 23-bed ward for older people which offers rehabilitation assistance for those who have had strokes and respite care for dementia patients.
UNISON Cymru Wales accused the health board of a complete failure to properly engage with staff and the local community about its plans. Many Barry hospital healthcare workers live locally and don’t drive so redeployment would have been difficult. The board did not promise that job losses will be avoided
Healthcare workers have now been told the Board is to consider a revised proposal at its meeting on 28 November.
A concerted UNISON campaign united the Barry community as 13,000 people signed the trade union’s petition calling for the award-winning Sam Davies Ward to remain open. Many joined UNISON’s march and rally from Barry hospital to King Square along with patients’ families. Aneira Thomas, the first person born after the NHS was founded and Belinda Loveluck-Edwards, Labour Parliamentary candidate for the Vale of Glamorgan addressed the rally.
Andrew Woodman, UNISON regional organiser said,
“This is a tremendous victory and we have demonstrated people cherish their local hospital services and they recognise the valuable work staff do to support the elderly in the community.
“UNISON marched, leafleted, petitioned and we have shown when people bandy together the powerful are forced to listen. It’s a great advert for trade union solidarity and a community united in defending their local public services.
“We must remain vigilant and protect health services for local people but it’s clear without UNISON’s campaign, the Sam Davies Ward would have been closed by now.
“The Sam Davies ward was praised by Carers Trust South East Wales as a “shining example” and it was peculiar the health board wanted to close it.
“Thank you to the people of Barry, your magnificent response to our campaign energised healthcare workers and made them even more determined to defend the hospital.”
UNISON healthcare workers have launched a petition to save the threatened Sam Davies ward at Barry Hospital. The trade union has called on the whole of the town to sign up to defend their local health services. Cardiff and Vale University Health Board wants to close the acute rehabilitation ward and UNISON Cymru Wales has […]
13,000 PEOPLE TELL HEALTH BOARD: “DON’T CLOSE BARRY HOSPITAL SAM DAVIES WARD”
Healthcare workers from Barry hospital will today (Wednesday) hand over a petition at the Senedd signed by 12,991 people calling for the award-winning Sam Davies Ward to remain open.
Cardiff and Vale University Health Board wants to close the acute rehabilitation ward and UNISON Cymru Wales has accused it of a complete failure to properly engage with staff and the local community about its plans.
The presentation of the petition follows UNISON’s march and rally from Barry hospital to King Square last Saturday. The trade union said healthcare workers were energised by the support they received on the march from patients’ families and members of the public and this has reinforced their determined to do everything they can to save the Sam Davies ward.
Stuart Egan, UNISON Cardiff and Vale health branch chair said,
“The health board must listen to Barry healthcare workers and to the 13,000 people in the local community who have signed the petition. This is a tremendously powerful message from Barry residents. Thank you to everyone who has supported our campaign. Let’s keep health services for those who have had strokes and respite care for dementia patients in Barry. We can keep this ward open.”
Notes for editors
- Healthcare workers organised by UNISON will present the petition to the Welsh Assembly Petitions Committee at 12.30pm on Wednesday 9 October
- 1,858 people signed the petition online and 11,133 people signed paper copies of the petition
- The text of the petition is as follows:
e-Petition: Save Sam Davies Ward at Barry Hospital
We the undersigned call on the Welsh Government, being the ultimate body responsible for the provision of health care in Wales, to stop the proposal of the Cardiff & Vale UHB to close the Sam Davies Ward, a 23 bedded older persons acute rehabilitation ward at the Barry Hospital, and to ensure that the Barry Hospital continues to provide Health Services to the public of Barry the largest Town in Wales.
The Sam Davies Ward is a 23 bedded older persons acute rehabilitation ward. The services include stroke rehabilitation, orthopaedic rehabilitation, and medical rehabilitation amongst other key health services. The ward also has two respite beds
- The Sam Davies ward recently won a Carer Friendly Silver Award. The ward has been praised by Carers Trust South East Wales as a “shining example of great person-centred care, for both patients and their carers. They really go the extra mile...”
Contact
Alastair Gittins, UNISON press officer 07816 53 83 97
PRESS RELEASE –
Embargoed until 00:01am - 14 October 2019
Watchdog and Health Board announce date of further public engagement meeting ahead of proposed changes to Frail Older Persons healthcare in Vale of Glamorgan
We are able to announce that the public engagement meeting regarding the Frail Older Persons services in the Vale of Glamorgan will be held on Wednesday 30th October 2019 at 7pm – 8:30pm. The meeting will be held in the corporate suite of Vale of Glamorgan Civic offices Holton Road.
Stephen Allen, Chief Officer of the CHC, stated: “ We have been working with the Cardiff & Vale University Health Board to secure a date and ensure this is well publicised, whilst we recognise this is very close to the end of the engagement process, we are sure there will be sufficient time for people to respond if they wish to”. He reiterated that “No final decisions regarding proposed changes to NHS services in Barry can be made until the Health Board has received the CHC’s feedback.
He went on to say that the CHC Executive Committee will meet in public on the 10th December 2019 at the Civic Offices in Barry at 10am to consider the outcome of the engagement process”. He stressed that it was important for our decision to be made as local to those who access these services”.
CHCs are an independent watch-dog of NHS services within Wales. They encourage and enable members of the public to be actively involved in decisions affecting the design, development and delivery of healthcare for their families and local communities
{END}
Note to Editors
Should you wish to discuss this statement further, please contact me using the details below:
Stephen Allen
Chief Officer
South Glamorgan CHC
Telephone: 02920 750112
Email: SouthGlam.chiefofficer@waleschc.org.uk
South Glamorgan CHC is the operational name of Cardiff & Vale of Glamorgan CHC and represents the views of the citizen to the Cardiff & Vale University Health Board, Velindre University NHS Trust and Welsh Ambulance Service NHS Trust (Cardiff & Vale area)
Community Health Councils were established in 1974 as statutory patient ‘Watchdogs’. They undertake Monitoring of Health Services through visiting GPs and Hospitals and other healthcare providers. CHCs must also be consulted by the NHS when they wish to make changes to NHS Services. There are 7 CHCs across Wales co-terminus with the Health Boards in each area.
South Glamorgan CHC is the operational name of Cardiff & Vale of Glamorgan CHC CIC De Morgannwg yw'r enw gweithredol ar gyfer CIC Caerdydd a Bro Morgannwg
Cadeirydd / Chair: Mr Malcolm Latham, BA, MSc, MCMI, FIBMS Ffôn/Tel: 029 20750112 Prif Swyddog / Chief Officer: Mr Stephen Allen, O.St.J MSc: MIHM Ebost/Email:SouthGlam.chiefofficer@waleschc.org.uk
www.communityhealthcouncils.org.uk/southglamorgan www.twitter.com/southglamchc
www.facebook.com/southglam.chc
Save Sam Davies ward - Barry march & rally.
- 11am Gatherd on Colcot Road, by the entrance to Barry Hospital
- 12pm March to King Square
- 1pm Rally at King Square
Great turn out for the Save Sam Davies Ward Campaign!
100's marched from Barry Hospital to the town centre
on Saturday 5th October to show their support.
Aneira Thomas, the first baby born in the NHS, was joined by Tanya Palmer, Unison Regional Secretary for Wales at the rally in Barry town centre.
SAVE SAM DAVIES WARD at Barry Pride
Cardiff & Vale Unison Health Branch had a busy day collecting hundreds of signatures to support our campaigne to SAVE SAM DAVIES WARD at Barry Pride.
#SaveSamDavies ward, Barry Hospital
Aneira Thomas joins Barry hospital ward protest, BBC Wales
Around one hundred people protest against Barry Hospital Sam Davies ward closure proposal, Barry and District News
Regional secretary Tanya Palmer was interviewed by ITV Wales at the start of Saturday’s march.
Protesters out in force for rally and march, Barry Gem
‘Plan to close ward sparks protest rally’, Cardiff and Vale health branch chair Stuart Egan quoted, South Wales Echo. See attached.
Cardiff & Vale Unison Branch held an awareness event at the seafront on Barry Island, on Sunday September 1st, to gain support for our petition and campaign to save sam Davies ward at Barry Hospital.
The 'Save Barry Hospital Ward' petition is live on the Welsh Government website. Please take a moment to sign and join our campaign to defend the Hospital
ward."
https://www.assembly.wales/en/
5,000 SIGN BARRY HOSPITAL WARD PETITION IN JUST THREE WEEKS
In just three weeks, 5,000 people have signed UNISON’s petition to keep open the threatened Sam Davies Ward at Barry Hospital.
UNISON healthcare workers at the hospital launched the petition on 23 July with a call for the whole town to sign up to defend the local acute rehabilitation ward for older people.
Andrew Woodman, UNISON Cymru Wales regional organiser said,
“People have responded magnificently when UNISON healthcare workers have asked them to support our petition. It is clear people cherish their local hospital services and they recognise the valuable work staff do to support the elderly in the community.
“We’ve been on the high streets and into shops speaking to as many people as we can. No-one we’ve spoken to thinks closing the Sam Davies Ward is a good idea or will benefit patients or their families in any way.
“We’re certain we’ll get thousands more signatures. UNISON will be at Barry Island in September and we’ll have a stall at Barry Pride. We’ll keep talking to everyone about the need for local and easily accessible public services to remain in Barry. Closure of the Ward would force people to travel further afield to health services based at Llandough or the Heath hospital.
“UNISON will do our best to keep the Sam Davies Ward open.”
Notes for editors
- To date, 3,287 people have signed paper copies of the petition. A further 1,580 people have signed online, giving a total of 4,867. Copies of the petition have been left for people to sign in shops and offices
- Watch UNISON’s new video about the campaign #SaveSamDaviesWard
- UNISON will be on Barry Island on Sunday 1 September 10am-4pm and have a stall at Barry Pride on 21 September. Further activities are planned in King Square.
- The ‘Save Barry Hospital Ward’ petition is live on the Welsh Government website. See text below.
- Many Barry hospital healthcare workers live locally and don’t drive so redeployment will be difficult. The board has not promised that job losses will be avoided
- UNISON Cymru Wales has accused the health board of a complete failure to properly engage with staff and the local community about its plans.
The text of the petition is as follows:
e-Petition: Save Sam Davies Ward at Barry Hospital
We the undersigned call on the Welsh Government, being the ultimate body responsible for the provision of health care in Wales, to stop the proposal of the Cardiff & Vale UHB to close the Sam Davies Ward, a 23 bedded older persons acute rehabilitation ward at the Barry Hospital, and to ensure that the Barry Hospital continues to provide Health Services to the public of Barry the largest Town in Wales.
The Sam Davies Ward is a 23 bedded older persons acute rehabilitation ward. The services include stroke rehabilitation, orthopaedic rehabilitation, and medical rehabilitation amongst other key health services. The ward also has two respite beds
Contact
Alastair Gittins, UNISON press officer 07816 53 83 97
Cardiff and Vale University Health Board wants to close Sam Davies Ward at Barry Hospital. UNISON Cymru Wales has accused the Health Board of a complete failure to properly engage
with staff and the local community about its plans.
More
than 6000 people in the Barry community have supported the petition so far and now we would like you to come along and support the march and rally to Save Sam Davies
Ward.
Sign UNISON’s petition. Just three days left to sign our online petition (we'll keep going with the paper copy petition). We think we've gathered 10,000 signatures with the online and paper petitions combined. Well done to everyone who has signed up and don't delay if you haven't. Click here to sign.
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