Labour's Heads Buried In The A&E Sand

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Wed 20th Apr 2005

Following the publication today of the response from Cardiff and the Vale NHS Trust into the 'cry for help e-mail' from an A&E doctor, Mike German AM has asked for an urgent debate in the Assembly on this matter.

The result of the investigation reveals that the University Hospital Wales has only two consultants instead of nine or ten as in comparable units in England. The optimum size recommended by the British Association of Emergency Medicine Guidelines should be 10 to 12 consultants for a unit the size of Cardiff.

Mike German AM, leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats in the Assembly, said: "It's astonishing that it has taken an anonymous e-mail to reveal the extent of the problem. Labour are burying their heads in the sand. They even had the cheek to dismiss the e-mail as a stunt instead of acting upon it. None of the allegations in the e-mail has been denied (except the one on manipulation of figures) and the level of detail of the response clearly indicates that the e-mail itself was genuine.

"It is truly impressive what UHW are achieving with one fifth of the staff that they should have. The pressures on A&E staff are enormous. They cannot be swept under the carpet as Labour have done so far.

"The UHW Accidents & Emergency unit is frequently operating at the highest level of risk. Plans for more beds are two years away according to the First Minister. The NHS needs long-term solutions now. These cries for help cannot be silenced. Patients and staff deserve better."

Notes:

The UHW has generally a permanent establishment of three consultants. However, one has recently retired, so they are currently operating with only two.