First Minister opens £3m Unit at Princess of Wales Hospital

Pictured (l-r) Win Griffiths, Chair of Bro Morgannwg NHS Trust, myself, Janice Gregory and First Minister Rhodri Morgan.

On Friday 16th March, the new Delivery and Support Unit at the Princess of Wales Hospital was officially opened by First Minister Rhodri Morgan.

The £2m investment is a clear example of the Welsh Assembly Government’s commitment to modernise and improve the health service in Wales, and I know that many of my constituents will now benefit from that investment.

I would particularly like to thank those members of staff for their commitment in assisting with the design of the new unit, in which they will shortly be working.

I was also delighted that later that morning Rhodri Morgan was also able to join me on a walkabout in Bridgend town centre, including touring the Indoor Market, where he was able to see for himself the vast array of fine quality foods, goods and services there on sale.

The First Minister said,

'It was a pleasure to visit Bridgend market today - people wanted to talk about the ban on smoking in public spaces and the introduction of free prescriptions coming in April. This is what Labour is delivering for people here.”

''Earlier I opened the new Accident & Emergency unit at the Princess of Wales hospital - a £2 million project funded by the Labour Assembly Government, so local people can really see the difference record investment in health is making here. They need to remember that all of this progress would be at risk if the Tories get in on May 3rd.''

Bridgend Shaw Trust

I recently visited the Shaw Trust offices in Wyndham Street to see at first hand how the charity is helping hundreds of local people find work.

The Shaw Trust is a national charity that provides training and work opportunities for people who are disadvantaged in the labour market due to disability, ill health or other social circumstances. They are the largest UK provider of employment services for disabled people.

Only around half of disabled people of working age are in work. Thanks to the Shaw Trust’s support and guidance, many local people have been able to find new opportunities and employment they were previously denied.

In Bridgend, the Shaw Trust plays a vital role in providing a wide range of projects ranging from IT training, personal development courses, work placement schemes to sessions aimed at building self confidence.

It was extremely beneficial to have been able to meet with staff to learn more about the work of the Trust and the challenges that they face on a day to day basis.

Extra support for autism

The Welsh Assembly Government has launched a new plan to improve the quality of life for people and children with autism.

The plan is backed up by an extra £1.7m – set aside by Labour - for local authorities like Bridgend over the next two years to have a look at how they can improve services for children with autism.

Health Minister Brian Gibbons and Education Minister Jane Davidson launched the Assembly’s Action Plan for Autism last week, which will now go out for consultation.

This plan is Labour’s commitment to help the most vulnerable people in Bridgend. This Labour Assembly Government wants to make sure that every child in Wales gets the education they deserve.

The extra £1.7m that Labour promised in the Assembly Government’s budget will help Bridgend County Borough Council to assess the learning support autistic children need in local schools and will make sure they get the specialist care and support they need.

I have many constituents who come to me with stories of how hard they fight to get the support they need to cope with autism, which is why I am very pleased that this Labour Assembly Government is recognising how important it is to get this plan right.

The draft document aims to build on a range of other Assembly Government publications, such as Designed for Life, and a series of National Services Frameworks for Children through to Older People. These documents all aim to improve services for people wherever they live in Wales to ensure that they have access to the highest quality care available.

Comments on the consultation should be sent to:Penelope DaviesChildren’s Health and Social Services DirectorateWelsh Assembly GovernmentCathays ParkCardiffCF10 3NQ.

Consultations generally run for a 12-week period but when consulting with people with learning difficulties that is extended to 16 weeks.

£55 million for ambulance services

Ambulances in Bridgend are set to have state-of-the-art digital radios installed to help them improve response times.

The £55 million upgrade was announced by Health Minister Brian Gibbons last week and marks a major step in the investment the Labour Assembly Government promised to modernise the ambulance service in Wales.

The new system will give far greater radio coverage across Wales, currently only two thirds of the country is covered.

Labour is proving that putting the extra money in the health service gets people in Bridgend the modern health and emergency services they deserve. These radios will help the control rooms keep in touch with the ambulance crews and will go a long way in improving response times and patient care.

Labour is building a modern, world class health service. Since the last election Labour has invested £700 million in hospitals and GP surgeries across Wales.

This is the investment that the Tories FAILED to support in last year’s budget. So it is clear for voters in Bridgend to see that only with a Labour Assembly Government will money go where it matters most – on a better NHS for all.

Free prescriptions for everyone in Wales

FROM April 1st patients in Bridgend and across Wales will no longer have to pay for NHS prescriptions thanks to the Welsh Assembly Government.

I voted for the move yesterday by the Labour Assembly Government that would see all charges for NHS prescriptions in Wales dropped.

This is great news for all patients in Bridgend and will benefit young families and the elderly. But the news is especially important for patients with chronic illnesses such as Asthma and Cystic Fibrosis, who need constant medication.

Making prescriptions free for the most vulnerable patients will see the cost of their care dramatically reduced and will make them more likely to take the medication they need.

Free prescriptions is the best and simplest way of reducing health inequalities in places like Bridgend and ensuring that everyone in our communities can access the healthcare that they deserve.

This Welsh Labour policy is unique to Wales and shows that Labour is delivering on our promise to abolish prescriptions charges. You can trust Labour to deliver for the people of Bridgend but free prescriptions would not be safe in an Assembly led by a Tory coalition, who FAILED to vote for free prescriptions today. A vote for Labour in this May’s Assembly election is a vote to keep prescriptions free for all.

Highlighting emotional and mental health issues facing youngsters

Last Friday I hosted a seminar on behalf of Bridgend Mental Health Matters in the National Assembly for Wales where the guest speaker was the Health Minister Dr Brian Gibbons.

The seminar included participants from Bridgend College and Ynysawdre Comprehensive School who took part in a number of presentations through the use of music, drama and their own writings, based upon their experiences involving emotional and mental health issues, and follows an initial survey undertaken by Bridgend Mental Health Matters.

I was delighted when Mental Health Matters approached me asking if I would help facilitate this meeting. There is no doubt that youngsters growing up in Bridgend today live in a very different environment from the one that I can remember in my youth.

The results of the survey taken by Bridgend Mental Health Matters and presented to me today highlight how important it is to recognise the needs of some of the most vulnerable in society. One of the most striking memories for me was seeing at first hand how the children deal with issues such as self harm, bullying, eating disorders and depression.

It is equally important to realise the pressures that society now places upon our youngsters, especially with the ever increasing expectations that we continually expect of them. Indeed, I was very moved by what the youngsters had to say and in the very high standard and quality of their presentations, and I know that Dr Brian Gibbons was equally impressed.

Life Saving Shocks at Bridgend Railway Station

Vital life saving equipment for heart attack victims in Bridgend has been made available thanks to Welsh Assembly money.

The Assembly’s £140,000 fund for new public access defibrillation machines will help save the life of anyone suffering from a heart attack in busy shopping centres and rail stations across Wales.

Defibrillators deliver controlled electric shocks and the sooner the shock the greater the chance of survival. The Welsh Ambulance Service was given the Assembly money to train staff at Bridgend Railway Station to use the defibrillators and in basic life support.

Heart disease is one of Wales’ and Bridgend’s biggest killers. Around 8,000 people in Wales die each year from coronary heart disease.

Tackling this problem is one of the Labour Assembly Government’s top priorities and the new defibrillators at Bridgend Railway Station can save lives on the spot.

Research shows that when a shock can be given within five minutes of someone collapsing over a quarter of patients survive.

280 people have been trained at 22 sites across Wales and by the end of the programme Wales’ busiest public locations will be prepared to offer life saving equipment.