A community hospital in south west Wales will be emptied of its patients and re-opened as a ‘Covid-19 free facility’ to control an outbreak of covid-19 among nurses.
All patients currently being treated at Llandovery Community Hospital in Carmarthenshire, will be transferred to Amman Valley Hospital in Glanaman, 20 miles away, with the process beginning immediately.
The move comes after positive Covid-19 tests caused an ‘urgent’ staffing issue at both sites, with the Hywel Dda University Health Board taking the decision to consolidate the hospitals’ resources as one.
Llandovery Community Hospital is expected to remain empty until the next year, when it will reopened as a ‘Covid-19 free facility’, Wales’ health minister Vaughan Gething announced yesterday.
All patients currently being treated at Llandovery Community Hospital in Carmarthenshire, south west Wales (pictured) will be transferred to another hospital 20 miles away
Hywel Dda University Health Board, who made the decision to move the patients, said it is a temporary measure in response to an an ‘urgent situation’ at the two sites, both of which have confirmed positive Covid-19 cases.
With ‘significant constraints on the workforce at both sites’ due to staff testing positive for covid-19 and patients being cared for in isolation as infection prevention guidelines require, it was decided all patients would be moved to Amman Valley Hospital, which has a greater capacity to care for patients.
Llandovery Community Hospital will now undergo a deep clean and re-open as a ‘Covid-19 free facility’.
This may not be until January, the health board has admitted, when staffing levels have returned to normal.
Jill Paterson, director of primary care, community and long term care for Hywel Dda University Health Board, said: ‘The safety and wellbeing of our patients is of paramount importance, so this decision has been made after due consideration was given to a number of options.
It was decided all patients would be moved to Amman Valley Hospital (pictured) which has a greater capacity to care for patients
‘Ultimately, this is a clinical decision taken in the best interests of patients, at a time when there is an unprecedented pressure on the service.
‘The staffing challenges meant it is not possible to sustain care to patients at both sites. By consolidating resources at one site, we will maintain safer staffing levels. This is the best option to ensure all patients receive the highest standards of care.
‘Additionally, the move to one site will provide the added benefit of easing pressure at our acute sites, because as staff who are currently self-isolating return to work, they will be able to support patients at our other hospitals.
‘I can assure the communities of both Llandovery and Ammanford that this is a temporary measure and we fully intend to re-open Llandovery Community Hospital in early January.’
Concern about the situation in Llandovery and the Amman Valley was raised at a plenary session of the Welsh Parliament yesterday.
Wales’ health minister Vaughan Gething
Joyce Watson, MS for Mid and West Wales, addressed Wales’ health minister Vaughan Gething and said: ‘There have been a number of incidents recently that illustrate just how precarious this situation is, how quickly local health services can be overtaken by events, and why firm action to control the virus is vital.
‘More than a dozen schools, nurseries and a college campus had to close in Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion after localised spikes, and a number of patients have tested positive for COVID-19 at Llandovery and Amman valley hospitals.
‘On that situation, I understand that quite a few staff at both sites have also tested positive and are self-isolating, which has led to significant constraints on that workforce. Can you provide an update on that, please, and help to reassure my constituents that the two sites are continuing to provide safe care to their patients?’
Mr Gething replied: ‘Hywel Dda University Health Board has announced it will transfer patients who are currently being treated in Llandovery Community Hospital to the Amman Valley Hospital.
‘They’ve approved the temporary measure after considering a number of options and working with stakeholders, local general practitioners, the community health council and elected officials.
‘After that, there will be no in-patients in Llandovery.
‘That will allow them to not just deep clean the site but also to then re-open it as a green site (no Covid) as well.
‘So, they’re actively considering how the hospitals can provide the best positive care for people with COVID-19 and those people who do not have COVID-19.’