Putting our Coronavirus plans into action / Gweithredu ein cynlluniau Coronafeirws

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As part of our preparations for managing the COVID-19 Coronavirus pandemic in the Hywel Dda area the health board has begun to enact plans for all of our acute hospitals and other care facilities to ensure that we can keep patients safe while continuing to provide the highest standards of care possible for our population.

Each of our four hospitals in Aberystwyth, Carmarthen, Haverfordwest and Llanelli is developing plans which involve providing designated areas for an expected increase in patients who test positive for COVID-19 and require hospital admission.  To do this, some services may need to move or change temporarily to allow us to provide clinical care for these patients in a more appropriate environment, while also ensuring that other essential services continue to run as smoothly as possible.

We will also be putting temporary buildings or tents in place and people will be appropriately signposted to these as they become operational.

From Saturday evening (21 March 2020) the Paediatric Ambulatory Care Unit (PACU) at Withybush General Hospital, also known as Puffin Ward, will be suspended so that it can be converted into a Minor Injuries Unit for adults and children for the duration of the pandemic.  Families with children suffering minor injuries will still be able to access care at Withybush via the MIU but those children with acute illness will be directed to Glangwili General Hospital in Carmarthen.

Over the coming days, weeks and months we will also be implementing changes to other care facilities to help us deal with increased cases of COVID-19 patients and the latest measures follow our postponement of non-urgent operations and outpatient appointments last week, new visiting restrictions and access arrangements for community care facilities.  The Health Board is committed to keeping our communities, staff and stakeholders informed about any changes every step of the way and will provide further updates soon.

Dr Phil Kloer, Medical Director and Deputy Chief Executive at Hywel Dda, said: “Firstly I want to reassure our communities as far as possible that our number one priority is to keep you, the public, safe and to provide as much continuity of care as we possibly can.  Our staff, both clinical and non-clinical, have been working around the clock for several weeks now to get ready for this and I would like to express my deepest gratitude to them and to thank the public, our partners and stakeholders for their understanding and patience.

“We need to act now and what we are doing is in line with other health boards and trusts up and down the country as our NHS seeks to manage the COVID-19 pandemic. This means that some aspects of care may have to temporarily move, change or reduce and the public need to be prepared for that.  We will continue to keep our communities, staff and stakeholders informed about any changes every step of the way and will provide further updates soon.”

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Gweithredu ein cynlluniau Coronafeirws

Fel rhan o’n paratoadau i reoli’r pandemig COVID-19 Coronafeirws yn ardal Hywel Dda, mae’r bwrdd iechyd wedi dechrau rhoi cynlluniau ar waith ar gyfer pob un o’n hysbytai acíwt a chyfleusterau gofal eraill er mwyn sicrhau y gallwn gadw cleifion yn ddiogel tra’n darparu gofal o’r safon uchaf posib ar gyfer ein poblogaeth.

Mae pob un o’n hysbytai yn Aberystwyth, Caerfyrddin, Hwlffordd a Llanelli yn datblygu cynlluniau sy’n cynnwys darparu ardaloedd penodol ar gyfer cynnydd disgwyliedig mewn nifer cleifion sy’n profi’n bositif am COVID-19 ac angen eu derbyn i ysbyty. Er mwyn gwneud hyn, mae angen symud neu newid rhai gwasanaethau am gyfnod dros dro er mwyn ein caniatáu i ddarparu gofal clinigol i’r cleifion hyn mewn amgylched mwy priodol, tra hefyd yn sicrhau bod gwasanaethau hanfodol eraill yn parhau i redeg mor ddi-drafferth â phosib.

Byddwn hefyd yn gosod adeiladau neu bebyll dros dro yn eu lle a bydd pobl yn cael eu hatgyfeirio i’r rhain wrth iddynt ddod yn weithredol.

O nos Sadwrn (21 Mawrth 2020) bydd yr Uned Gofal Ambiwladol Paediatrig (Uned PACU) yn Ysbyty Cyffredinol Llwynhelyg, a elwir hefyd yn Ward Pâl, yn cael ei atal fel y gellir ei droi yn Uned Mân Anafiadau i oedolion a phlant trwy gyfnod y pandemig. Bydd teuluoedd â phlant sy’n dioddef mân anafiadau yn dal i allu cael gofal yn Llwynhelyg yn yr Uned Mân Anafiadu hon, ond bydd y plant hynny â salwch acíwt yn cael eu cyfeirio i Ysbyty Glangwili, Caerfyrddin.

Dros y diwrnodau, yr wythnosau a’r misoedd nesaf, byddwn hefyd yn gweithredu newidiadau i gyfleusterau gofal eraill er mwyn ein helpu i ddelio â’r achosion cynyddol o gleifion COVID-19. Daw’r mesurau diweddaraf yn dilyn gohirio llawdriniaethau ac apwyntiadau cleifion allanol nad ydynt yn rhai brys yr wythnos ddiwethaf, cyfyngiadau newydd o ran ymweld a threfniadau mynediad at gyfleusterau gofal cymunedol. Mae’r Bwrdd Iechyd wedi ymrwymo i hysbysu ein cymunedau, staff a rhanddeiliaid o unrhyw newidiadau bob cam o’r ffordd, a bydd yn darparu diweddariadau pellach cyn hir.

Meddai Dr Phil Kloer, Cyfarwyddwr Meddygol a Dirprwy Brif Weithredwr Hywel Dda: “I ddechrau, rwyf am sicrhau ein cymunedau cyn belled ag y bo modd mai ein prif flaenoriaeth yw eich cadw chi, y cyoedd, yn ddiogel ac i ddarparu cymaint â phosib o barhad gofal. Mae ein staff clinigol ac anghlinigol wedi bod yn gweithio’n bob awr am wythnosau lawer i baratoi at hyn, a hoffwn fynegi fy niolchgarwch o waelod calon iddynt a diolch hefyd i’r cyhoedd, ein partneriaid a rhanddeiliaid am eu hamynedd a’u dealltwriaeth.

“Mae angen i ni weithredu nawr, ac mae’r hyn rydym yn ei wneud yn unol â byrddau iechyd ac ymddiriedolaethau eraill ar hyd a lled y wlad wrth i’r Gwasanaeth Iechyd geisio rheoli’r pandemig COVID-19. Golyga hyn efallai y bydd yn rhaid symud, newid neu leihau rhai agweddau ar ofal, ac mae angen i’r cyhoedd fod yn barod am hynny. Byddwn yn parhau i ddiweddaru ein cymunedau, ein staff a’n rhanddeiliaid ar unrhyw newidiadau.”


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