UHW: First minister says state of Cardiff A&E 'unacceptable'

The state of Wales' flagship hospital is "absolutely unacceptable", the first minister has said.

An unannounced inspection of emergency and assessment units at Cardiff's University Hospital of Wales (UHW) found dirty sinks, low morale, and people sitting on bins.

Mark Drakeford said the pressure on the NHS does "not excuse" the Cardiff and Vale University Health Board.

The board says it has fully accepted the report's findings.

The comments came after Welsh Conservative leader Andrew RT Davies told the Senedd an 86-year-old woman waited 20 hours to be seen by a doctor at UHW after she suffered a suspected stroke.

He said he was told by a constituent she had to travel to the north Cardiff hospital, known locally as the Heath, by taxi after being told it would take several hours to get an ambulance to her.

"Her assessment now is that she will never go back to a hospital, and all she wishes for is that she has a painless death," Mr Davies said.

Mr Drakeford told First Minister's Questions on Tuesday that the patient's concerns need to be taken up with those responsible for her care.

"What the leader of the opposition has said would clearly be unacceptable", he said.

The Welsh Labour leader said the recent Healthcare Inspectorate of Wales (HIW) report said most patients at the hospital had been treated with dignity and respect.

But it also said "numerous environmental factors impact on the ability of staff to provide dignified care".

Mr Drakeford added: "It is absolutely unacceptable to me to read a report that says the emergency department is dirty, that an emergency department doesn't have enough chairs for people to sit on, that an emergency department is unable to provide access to water for people who are waiting."

The first minister said he understood the system was under "huge pressure" but said that "does not excuse" the Cardiff and Vale University Health Board "for failing to deliver on those very basic environmental standards".

Following a £22m investment, UHW opened in 1971, as Europe's first full-integrated hospital and medical school.

With 1,000 beds, it is now the third largest university hospital in the UK and the biggest in Wales.

However, in 2019, Cardiff and Vale University Health Board said it was "no longer fit for purpose".

It announced the intention to replace it within 10 years, with the head of the local patient watchdog describing the site as "quite congested".

While a location had not been chosen, one of the concerns was dealing with an increase in demand for services from an ageing population.

On Tuesday the Welsh government announced an additional £2m to upgrade emergency department waiting areas over the winter.

The unannounced HIW inspection took place between 20 and 22 June 2022 and said the "dignity and safety" of patients was compromised on a daily basis.

It found "visibly dirty" sinks, stained commodes and clinical waste bins with rusty lids.

It also found wall-mounted hand sanitising containers were empty and medical sharps bins were filled above capacity.

In the assessment unit, patients were nursed in high backed chairs which are not designed to be used for long periods, with one patient having to sleep using an arrangement of two chairs which did not recline.

Hospital staff had raised concerns about the equipment available to them, including not having the correct facilities to treat burned children correctly.

Inspectors also found medicines were not being stored properly, and checks and maintenance of emergency equipment were not carried out correctly.

A spokesperson for the health board said: "Our Emergency and Assessment Units have been under extreme pressure for some time and we fully accept the findings of the Healthcare Inspectorate Wales report.

"The teams have been working hard to make improvements to improve patient experience and have a robust strategy in place to address the issues and adapt services accordingly."

In the same session in the Senedd on Tuesday Mr Drakeford clashed with Plaid Cymru leader Adam Price when he accused him of stating "pious aspirations and accusations that somehow other people are not as holy as he is" after Mr Price called for better public sector pay.

Both nurses and teachers are getting a below inflation pay rise. The Royal College of Nursing is balloting all UK members for strike action.

"The Westminster government hides behind arm's-length employers and independent review bodies in shirking its responsibilities, but where large parts of the public sector in Wales are concerned, it's you and your government that will decide.

"Nurses and teachers are balloting for strike action in Wales because of your proposals for a real-term cut to their wages," Mr Price said.

He raised a motion passed at Labour party conference calling for "inflation proof pay rises": "Is it the policy of your government that public service workers should be entitled to pay settlements that at least keep pace with inflation?"

Mr Drakeford said the motion passed was "the policy of my party, and it is a policy this government dearly wish that we were in a position to implement".

"Every 1% rise in the pay bill across the public service in Wales costs another £100 million.

"If he can tell me where that money is to be found, then I'm happy to enter into dialogue with him.

"If all he has to offer me are pious aspirations and accusations that somehow other people are not as holy as he is, then I'm afraid that debate is hardly likely to prosper."