Madam,

The Cambrian News was kind enough to print a letter of mine concerning the repurposing of Y Banwy Unit at Bronglais Hospital for a trial period (Are we being given the whole picture over ward changes?’, 15 August).

This ward was opened two years ago by Vaughan Gething AM, Minister for Health and Social Care, for patients who are awaiting care packages.

It is now to be repurposed as a chemotherapy unit, which of itself is a very valuable resource but one requiring a completely different layout, hence the need to renovate a two-yearold, purpose-built facility

Whether or not this trial period is successful, it appears that Y Banwy’s days are numbered, in its current form any way.

It was unclear from the information released by Hywel Dda University Health Board as to where the Y Banwy patients were to go and I suspected that the whole picture had not emerged.

To try to gain more information, I attended a Ceredigion Community Health Council meeting on 15 August. One of the contributors to the meeting, Peter Skitt, county director for Ceredigion for Hywel Dda, explained that patients on Y Banwy would be accommodated on Enlli Ward, a mental health and dementia unit.

I am informed that this means a bedroom converted at significant cost to a clinicians’ room approximately six months ago has now to be converted back to a bedroom.

Recommissioning a number of mothballed beds (not exactly the “new dementia care beds” as claimed by Hywel Dda) and the reconverted bedroom should bring Enlli’s complement up to 11.

Keen mathematicians will note that this is one bed less than Y Banwy, without taking into account existing Enlli inpatients.

My understanding of Mr Skitt’s explanation is that future in-patients with dementia, but whose physical health problems outweigh their dementia needs, will be placed on the appropriate ward.

The training received by general and mental health nurses differs significantly in a number of areas and nurses may be understandably wary of being responsible for the care of a patient in the other category.

To remedy this, Mr Skitt is offering training in the care of dementia patients on general wards and viceversa. What remains unclear is how, at the end of the pilot scheme, these actions will bring about a reduction in the need for beds as envisaged by Mr Skitt.

Cynically, I suppose if there is a patient on the ward who is prone to disruptive or repetitive behaviour which could impact on the well-being of others, some families may choose to take their relatives home sooner than planned.

However, the increase in outreach workers in Hywel Dda’s mental health services should mean that more people suffering from dementia could receive more help in the community. This, along with admissions to general wards, where appropriate, may lead Hywel Dda to conclude at the end of the pilot scheme that dementia care beds are no longer needed in Bronglais.

Yours etc, George Holloway, Rhoshendre, Waunfawr, Aberystwyth.

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