Local campaigner Ken Jones has backed Siân Gwenllian’s call to bring back vascular services to Ysbyty Gwynedd in Bangor.

 

 

 

Plaid Cymru’s candidate for Arfon has outlined her vision for developing Bangor as a Centre of Medical Excellence but says that won’t succeed without bringing back vascular services.

Her call has been backed by Ken Jones, the secretary of Ysbyty Gwynedd’s Kidney Patients Association.

Speaking with Ken recently, Siân Gwenllian said: “With the groundwork laid for a Medical School, and a Dentistry Training Unit on the horizon, Plaid Cymru’s vision of developing Bangor as a Centre of Medical Excellence is looking realistic.

“But that vision cannot be fully realised without bringing back vascular services to Ysbyty Gwynedd.”

Ysbyty Gwynedd’s Kidney Patients Association campaigner Ken Jones has echoed her comments: “I don’t blame the staff, a central decision has been made to move services from Ysbyty Gwynedd to Glan Clwyd.

“The Labour Government promised to move these services to be closer to people in rural areas, but they seem to have done the exact opposite.

“The services, led by Professor Dean Williams, had been described as “world class”.

“The decision to remove them from Ysbyty Gwynedd was misjudged.”

Siân Gwenllian talked of the vision to see Bangor developed as “a Centre of Medical Excellence”; “I have successfully campaigned for a Medical School for Bangor. Despite initial hostility and rejection of the idea, I persevered and by now everyone agrees this should happen and 40 doctors of the future are now being trained locally.

“A decision has also been made to establish a Dentistry Training Unit for the north at Bangor.

“I led another successful campaign in 2015 that prevented the loss of consultant-led maternity services from Bangor. That would have been disastrous for the mothers of north west Wales.

“Unfortunately, vascular services have been removed from Ysbyty Gwynedd, but that decision was flawed and the public was misled. The new system of sending vascular patients to Ysbyty Glan Clwyd is not working and I pledge to do my utmost to reinstate vascular services at Ysbyty Gwynedd.

“We also need to develop a new Health and Well-being Centre in the Bangor’s city centre. This would alleviate pressure of an over-stretched workforce at Ysbyty Gwynedd, improve care for local people and give a much needed boost to Bangor High Street.”