Neonatal centre to be located at Ysbyty Glan Clwyd
15 May 2014 04:13 PM
First Minister, Carwyn
Jones, has announced that he has accepted an independent panel’s
recommendation to locate a Sub Regional Neonatal Intensive Care Centre for
North Wales (SuRNICC) at Ysbyty Glan Clwyd.
An independent panel –
chaired by Sonia Mills, an experienced former NHS chief executive – was
established to work with the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health and
with Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board to develop recommendations on the
location of a SuRNICC.
The panel set out clear criteria
for choosing the right site, including safety, patient experience, training and
staff education. On many of the areas there was little to choose between the
two sites under consideration – Ysbyty Glan Clwyd and Wrexham Maelor
Hospital.
However, when the panel looked
at access, particularly for those living in the west and for those in the most
deprived communities, Ysbyty Glan Clwyd emerged as the better
option.
The First Minister
said:
"I am accepting the
independent panel’s recommendation to locate the SuRNICC at Ysbyty Glan
Clwyd. However, I recognise the challenges and risks the panel highlighted in
its report, and these will need to be addressed by the health board before the
development of the SuRNICC can go ahead at Ysbyty Glan Clwyd.
"The panel commented on the
great loyalty and commitment of the staff working in both neonatal units, so I
know there will be disappointment for some about this
recommendation.
"I believe the
panel’s advice to be robust and well balanced – and, most
importantly – in the best interests of families in North Wales. It will
require the health board’s commitment to long-term sustainable services.
It will also require the continued commitment of the dedicated staff across the
whole of North Wales and it will require our commitment to communicate this
decision positively to the population of North Wales.
"Fundamentally, this is
about providing the best possible standards of care and clinical outcomes for
mothers and babies across North Wales as a whole. Working together we can help
to improve outcomes for our sickest babies and children."