HEALTH chiefs have agreed that colorectal surgery should be reinstated at Bronglais Hospital if two new surgeons can be recruited and an MRI scanner can be installed.

Colorectal surgery has not been performed at Bronglais for four years, but consultants insist it needs to be reinstated to ensure support for other services.

A report that went before the November meeting of the health board said reinstating surgery would not have a significant cost impact and would not introduce additional pressure if some staff members can be recruited.

Before any surgery can begin again at the hospital, though, the health board has said it must recruit two accredited colorectal surgeons to meet guidelines, and have adequate junior doctor support in place. It would also need to have adequate support staff, especially nursing staff on Ceredig Ward, and that a new MRI scanner will need to be installed.

The report said: “The relative importance of the acute surgical rota at Bronglais were discussed. The concerns of local clinicians working in trauma and orthopaedics, acute medicine A&E and obstetrics at Bronglais, about the important co-dependency of their specialty work and having acute surgery on site were also taken into consideration.

"The circumstances at Bronglais were felt to be different to some other hospitals where a number of these specialties are able to continue to function without an onsite acute surgical presence, because those other hospitals are generally less remote with options for more rapid transfer to an alternative surgical unit if required.”

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