Randerson Not Surprised at UHW Ambulance Queues

3.53.47pm BST (GMT +0100) Thu 16th Aug 2007

Yesterday Ambulances were again queuing outside UHW as bed blocking* caused delays. 160-170 beds are blocked at the moment.

Welsh Lib Dem Health spokesperson Jenny Randerson AM, said: "How would Cardiff cope if there was a citywide emergency? Thousands of people pour into Cardiff for sports events and work.

"Bed blocking is not a new phenomenon; The Council, Cardiff LHB and the Trust work extremely hard to tackle the problem but are bound by the inadequate funding that Cardiff receives. Welsh Liberal Democrats propose shared budgets between Health and Social Services departments so they can tackle the problem effectively together.

"Events like this will continue to happen unless drastic action is taken. Yesterday was a fairly innocuous day and should not present a huge challenge."

Notes:

*Bed blocking happens when a patient is delayed from moving to the next stage of their care, for example from a hospital bed to a residential home. It is causing major problems for our health service.

Ends/diwedd