The Blue Print

I never thought I’d be much good as a spy, but yesterday morning I went undercover at the A&E department of the University Hospital of Wales which happily for me is conveniently located in my constituency.

The purpose of my visit, at the invitation of a number of the nurses who live in Cardiff North, was to see at first hand the pressures they face throughout the day. One problem that became apparent within minutes of me arriving was the difficulty in managing a considerable number of patient admissions together with all the problems which impact on A&E due to factors elsewhere in the hospital.

We toured the GP out of hours clinic, which is co-located with the A&E and discussed the excellent work they do. I met with nurses and doctors in the Medical Assessment Unit and also the Surgical Assessment Unit and was struck over and again that regardless of the difficulties they face their commitment to their patients remained constant and strong.

Whilst I intend doing a couple of posts on this visit (starting later in the week) with some recommendations for the Assembly Government there was one fact which struck me hard. By 9am yesterday morning the hospital wasn’t just full there were 27 people waiting for a bed. Now 9am isn’t an especially busy period, apparently that happens between 11am and 3pm when GPs are in a frantic process of referring their patients to A&E.

What was worrying was that there were some patients who had been on hospital trollies for a long time. In fact at least 3 of them for more than 3 days because of a lack of beds in the hospital.

The Education Minister has agreed to close a school in my constituency which serves an area with few community facilities.

Cefn Onn Primary School has been a central part of one of the large housing estates in Llanishen for 5 decades. I would like to place on record my praise for the headteacher, staff and governors who have worked hard to save the school from closure. It is an incredibly sad day for local families who will feel very let down as a result of this decision.

When Cardiff Council decided to close this school the birthrate in the city had been falling, and this became the premise on which the school closure programme would progress. Since 2002 however the birthrate in Llanishen and across Cardiff has been increasing and the council has had to amend its own pupil projection figures. Pupils from this area will now have the option of attending 4 other schools, and whilst the alternatives are all excellent schools the loss of Cefn Onn has the potential to fragment the community.

This latest closure not only ignores the new birthrate trend it is fundamentally a nail in the coffin for the community the school has served.

I represent a constituency which has excellent schools with superb standards and results, popular with pupils and parents.

Other parts of Cardiff are not so lucky, some have lower standards and falling rolls. Instead of addressing why some schools are not as successful Cardiff Council has determined to close schools in my constituency in order to save those where the problem actually lies.

We are expecting the council to consult over their plan to reduce the number of primary schools and reduce the size of Whitchurch High School. This is madness. Our primary schools are popular and well subscribed, the combined places at Eglwys Newydd and Eglwys Wen, according to the council, will require an increase in places by 2014 not a reduction. The high school is the biggest in Wales and delivers a diverse and high standard of education to its pupils and in my view should not face a cut in its numbers from a 12 to a 9 form entry school.

Cardiff council will be opposed by me and our councillors for Whitchurch & Tongwynlais. There will be a vigorous campaign and the council will be challenged on its proposal because we do not want to see successful schools penalised. Let the fight begin.