Member of the Senedd for the Vale of Clwyd, Gareth Davies, on Tuesday 21st November, called for a statement from the Minister for Health and Social Services on the progress of the North Denbighshire Community Hospital.
The Welsh Government announced back in 2013 that the new hospital would be built on the site of the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Rhyl, and would provide vital community health services to the people of Rhyl, Prestatyn, and surrounding areas, relieving pressure on the oversubscribed Ysbyty Glan Clwyd in Bodelwyddan.
Plans for the construction of North Denbighshire Community Hospital have been beset by delay, with the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board awaiting funding commitments from the Welsh Government which were not forthcoming.
The Welsh Government responded to Mr Davies’ request for a statement with an update that:
“Following a meeting on 17 October with representatives from the Welsh Government, Conwy, Denbighshire and Flintshire local authorities, and the health board have agreed to review the model for the North Denbighshire Hospital, with a focus on a minor injuries unit, intermediate care beds and integrated care.”
- Welsh Government
Commenting on the update, Mr Davies said:
“I welcome the news that the Welsh Government and local authorities have met with the health board to review the model for North Denbighshire Hospital, and this hopefully brings up a step closer to alleviating the pressure on the overstretched local health service providers such as Ysbyty Glan Clwyd.”
“I am disappointed that after years of lobbying from myself, and by colleagues in the Welsh Conservatives, in conjunction with the hard work put in by the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, it has nonetheless taken this long for the Welsh Government to provide any progress on the North Denbighshire Hospital. With Welsh NHS statistics this September revealing record breaking waiting times for diagnostic services and patient pathways, this latest update hopefully demonstrates that the overstretched NHS services in North Wales may finally be receiving some well overdue attention from Cardiff Bay. I am conscious, however, that after a decade of delay and broken promises, this may be welcome news, but is also a case of ‘we’ll believe it when we see it’.”
