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  1. LLANELLI: Mums-to-be face Swansea trips for check-ups as maternity clinic changes

    Pregnant women in Llanelli who plan to give birth in Swansea will have to travel there for all their consultant appointments, under changes coming in December.

    At the moment, those choosing Singleton Hospital can have some of their antenatal care at Prince Philip Hospital on their doorstep, with the rest in Swansea.

    That split arrangement is ending, and the satellite clinic at Prince Philip is being replaced.

    Not everyone is affected. Women whose pregnancies do not need a consultant will carry on seeing Hywel Dda community midwives locally, as now.

    And for those who choose to give birth in Carmarthenshire rather than Swansea, a new Hywel Dda-run obstetric clinic will open at Prince Philip in place of the current one.

    The change hits one group in particular: women who want a Singleton birth but have a pregnancy needing consultant oversight. For them, every hospital appointment now means the trip to Swansea.

    The clinic at Prince Philip has been run under an agreement between the two health boards — Swansea Bay, which runs Singleton, and Hywel Dda, which covers Carmarthenshire.

    It was Swansea Bay that gave notice. Hywel Dda was formally told on 6 June, and the agreement ends on 9 December.

    Hywel Dda says the two boards work to different clinical guidelines, policies and governance arrangements, and that reviews found those differences “can create inconsistencies”.

    Both organisations agreed ending the arrangement would support a safer and more coherent pathway for women and babies, the board said.

    Sharon Daniel, director of nursing, quality and patient experience at Hywel Dda, said: “The safety and quality of care for pregnant women and people and babies must always be our primary consideration.”

    She said the current arrangement had let people from the area access consultant-led maternity services in Swansea while attending some appointments closer to home.

    “However, reviews undertaken by both health boards have highlighted that operating across two organisations with different clinical and governance frameworks can create challenges,” she said.

    Women, families and staff will get their say first. A six-week engagement exercise starts on 17 August, with details of how to take part published beforehand.

    “The engagement process will help us better understand any impact of the changes,” Ms Daniel said, adding that feedback would be considered as the new arrangements were planned.

    Maternity services at Swansea Bay University Health Board were escalated to Level Four intervention in July last year.

    The change comes with maternity care at Singleton under intense scrutiny. Services were escalated to Level Four intervention by the Welsh Government in July last year — the second highest level — after an independent review found repeated failures in the quality of care and governance.

    That review examined 168 clinical cases and heard from more than 1,000 people. The then Health Secretary, Jeremy Miles, issued a full and unreserved apology to women and families who “have not received the service or care they deserved”.

    Two months earlier, a report by patient body Llais had gathered the experiences of more than 500 people who used Swansea Bay maternity services. Women described being left alone during labour, having concerns dismissed and feeling unsafe. One said she was left covered in blood; another that her catheter was left in for 26 hours.

    A healthcare lawyer acting for affected families said at the time that some cases involved babies only weeks old, and that “there is now a generation of people fearful of what might await them when the time comes to give birth”.

    Swansea Bay has apologised unreservedly, accepted all the review’s recommendations, and says it has made improvements to staffing, training and services. Perinatal mortality has fallen since 2023.

    In Llanelli, it lands on a hospital where residents are already watching services closely. Councillors have called for Prince Philip to become a “centre of excellence” for stroke care amid fears of erosion, with the town council leader warning the town “cannot afford to lose any more”.

    Under separate proposals, Glangwili in Carmarthen would become the region’s only 24-hour acute stroke unit, leaving Prince Philip as a transfer site.

    People can register to take part in Hywel Dda’s engagement work through its Siarad Iechyd / Talking Health scheme.

    Related stories from Swansea Bay News

    Independent Review finds repeated failings in Swansea Bay maternity care
    The review that led to Level Four intervention by the Welsh Government.

    Patient group reveals shocking treatment of new mothers at Singleton Hospital
    More than 500 people shared their experiences with Llais.

    PRINCE PHILIP HOSPITAL: Town council calls for Llanelli stroke unit to become ‘centre of excellence’
    Councillors warn the town cannot afford to lose more services.

    LLANELLI: More NHS services moving to Pentre Awel
    What else is relocating in the town, and when.

    #HywelDdaNHS #Llanelli #maternity #PrincePhilipHospital #SingletonHospital #SwanseaBayNHS
  2. BRIDGEND: ‘You are not alone’ — the woman making ‘Bailey’s Bags’ of chemo essentials, handed over the day treatment is confirmed

    A Bridgend woman having chemotherapy for cervical cancer is making “grab bags” of essentials for other women about to start treatment — to be handed over on the very day they’re told it’s coming.

    Maria Bailey, 55, designed her “One Grab Chemo Bag” — since christened “Bailey’s Bags” — after researching and packing her own before her first session at Singleton Hospital‘s cancer clinic in Swansea, where she is now having weekly chemotherapy and daily radiotherapy.

    Inside goes everything she found herself needing: a fleece blanket, ginger tea, a neck pillow, pear drops, a bladder-capacity water bottle — and a backpack that can charge a phone from a power bank, because your treatment chair may not be anywhere near a plug socket.

    Maria was diagnosed on 22 April after months of heavy bleeding — with clots she has described as “the size of baby seals”.

    Her last cervical screening, five years earlier, had been clear, and her next wasn’t due until May this year — but when something felt wrong at the start of the year, she went straight to her GP rather than waiting. Cervical screening in Wales is offered every five years, and anyone with symptoms is urged to see their GP without waiting for their next routine appointment.

    An initial fundraising page passed its £500 target within a day of launching — and Maria has since relaunched her GoFundMe page to make sure every donation goes directly into buying and packing the bags, at around £92 each.

    The idea has already travelled: staff at Velindre, Cardiff’s specialist cancer centre, have told her they love it — and Maria hopes to extend the bags to men going through chemotherapy and radiotherapy for prostate cancer.

    Between treatment sessions, Maria answered our questions — here she is, in her own words.

    Take us back to your first chemo session — what did you wish you’d had with you that day?

    “Because I love organising, I did a bit of research before my first sesh and created my One Grab Chemo Bag! It was a simple idea but I was ready and packed beforehand. I just wished that I didn’t have to buy it myself, especially being on the sick — and that’s where my simple idea came about. I did think of donating my own bag after treatment, but thought I would like to help more than one person.”

    What goes into a bag — and is there one item that means the most?

    “All the items are on my GoFundMe page but, gathering feedback from the brave ladies at the Cancer Clinic in Singleton, more items are being added — a medicine organising box, and a fold-up portable fan, especially in this weather!

    “I think for me, it was the backpack’s ability to charge devices via a power bank, as your chair may not be by a plug socket. Also my neck pillow, pear drops and water bottle — truth be told, everything in there is invaluable.”

    You want to hand these over on the day women are told treatment is starting — why that exact moment?

    “I feel tangible support helps massively, and I know from personal experience — I just had to rock up on the day without thinking about or buying what I thought I needed. It took another worry out of my over-worried mind!”

    What would you say to women about knowing their own bodies and pushing for answers?

    “My clear smear was five years ago and I was due another in May this year. I knew something wasn’t quite right at the beginning of this year, so popped off to my doctor’s at The New Surgery in Pencoed, who was brilliant — she was never dismissive and got the ball rolling very quickly to investigate. I realise how lucky I am that it wasn’t dismissed as being usual ‘women problems’ and she took me seriously.”

    What’s the response been like — from other patients, and from the staff at Singleton?

    “Every single person I have spoken to — from the funny characters who drive me to and from hospital, the ambulance volunteers, the girls and guys in radio, and of course the brave ladies who put up with me babbling with enthusiasm about this — have said it is a simple but brilliant idea! The patients I have spoken to all said the same: they didn’t know what to take in with them, like me, but if they’d had this beforehand it would have been a great help. I recently met the amazing staff at Velindre, who loved the idea too.”

    If someone reading this was diagnosed this week, what would you want them to know?

    “My phone number? They could ask me anything and I would give them an honest, down-to-earth answer to all the many questions they may not think to ask. If that was not possible, I would say: you are really in the best hands when the treatment starts, keep positive — and you are not alone.”

    Donations to Bailey’s Bags can be made via Maria’s fundraising page.

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    #cervicalCancer #MariaBailey #SingletonHospital
  3. HEALTH BOARD: Swansea Bay to cut up to 800 jobs in three-year bid to balance the books

    Swansea Bay’s health board plans to cut around 800 jobs over the next three years as it tries to claw its way back to a balanced budget.

    The plan was set out at a special meeting of the board this week, held to sign off the previous year’s accounts and approve a fresh submission to the Welsh Government on its spending plans.

    The board said it was forecasting a deficit of £76.6m for the coming year, 2026-27, meaning it expects to spend that much more than it receives. That is underpinned by a savings target of £65m.

    That £76.6m is a forecast for the year ahead alone. It is separate from the £112m the board overspent across the three years to 2025-26 — a figure confirmed at the same meeting, when auditors signed off the board’s accounts with a formal warning over its repeated failure to live within its budget.

    Those accounts also revealed that the board’s bill for clinical negligence claims had more than doubled in a year, and that it had needed a £74m Welsh Government bailout it will not have to repay.

    The board said it was now working towards a return to a balanced budget by 2028-29, the end of a three-year recovery period.

    Workforce director Tina Ricketts told the meeting the board had committed a year earlier to reducing its headcount by around 900 full-time equivalent posts, but that this had since been revised down to 800.

    She said the overall savings value from pay was unchanged at £44.7m.

    The board did not say which services or hospitals the reductions would affect.

    However, Ms Ricketts said much of the saving would come from reducing spending on what the NHS calls “variable pay” — temporary staffing such as agency and bank workers brought in to cover shifts and fill gaps, rather than permanent jobs.

    Bank staff are workers, often the board’s own employees, who pick up extra shifts as needed, while agency staff are hired through outside firms, usually at a higher cost.

    She said 550 of the planned reductions would come from the board’s substantive, permanent workforce, with the remaining 250 from variable pay.

    The board is one of the largest employers in the region, with a workforce of more than 13,000.

    Its workforce has grown in recent years, which the board has acknowledged as one of the pressures behind its deficit. The savings it now needs to find are also rising — last year’s target was £55.4m, against £65m this year.

    Chairwoman Jan Williams told the meeting the board now had more nurses than ever before, having in recent years filled vacancies through an overseas recruitment drive.

    The planned reduction comes at a time of growing concern over NHS jobs in Wales. Earlier this year, Welsh student nurses warned they faced unemployment after qualifying, while 82 newly qualified paramedics were left without posts, prompting the Welsh Government to call an emergency summit.

    Interim finance director Claire Osmundsen-Little said the board had drawn up a more detailed plan than its earlier attempts, which had been sent back by the Welsh Government, and that she was more confident it could reach a balanced budget by 2028-29.

    She said the board had identified ideas it believed could save £181m over three years — slightly more than the £177m it needs to find — but cautioned that many of these were still proposals rather than confirmed savings.

    The board remains in what the NHS calls Level 4 escalation — the highest level of Welsh Government intervention — meaning ministers have stepped in to monitor it closely because of concerns over its finances and performance.

    Chief executive Abigail Harris told the meeting the board’s journey towards a sustainable financial position was “challenging,” and that progress was “not as quick as we would like.”

    She said the board was tightening its grip on how budgets were set and spent, and holding managers to account for the money they controlled.

    Because the board is still running a deficit, it is not allowed to formally sign off a three-year plan that does not yet balance. Instead, members agreed to send the Welsh Government further detail on how they intend to get there.

    The board’s own performance and finance committee, which scrutinises its spending, said it took assurance from the work done — but flagged continuing concerns, including very little evidence so far of the savings actually being made, and questions over whether the board had enough staff and expertise to drive the changes through.

    At the meeting, only £16.7m of this year’s £65m savings target had reached the more confident stages of planning.

    The board also acknowledged that its cancer performance had been “disappointing,” and said it would bring a fuller update on its cancer improvement work to its July meeting.

    The same meeting also heard the board apologise again over failings in its maternity care, as it responded to the national review of maternity services in Nottingham.

    The board’s financial troubles come amid continued local concern over its services, including the future of Gorseinon Hospital.

    The board said it would report in more detail on its recovery plan at its July meeting.

    Related stories from Swansea Bay News

    Swansea Bay £112m in the red and failed by auditors
    The accounts ratified at the same board meeting.

    Welsh student nurses face unemployment after training
    Newly qualified nurses warned they could not find NHS posts.

    Swansea Bay apologises again over maternity failings
    The board’s response to the national Nottingham maternity review.

    #AuditWales #deficit #featured #GorseinonHospital #jobLosses #MorristonHospital #NeathPortTalbotHospital #NHSWales #SingletonHospital #SwanseaBayUniversityHealthBoard
  4. HEALTH BOARD: Swansea Bay apologises again over maternity failings as it responds to Nottingham review

    Swansea Bay’s health board has apologised again to families who suffered “devastating and lifechanging outcomes” in its maternity services, after the publication of a major national review.

    The board’s Chair and Chief Executive issued a joint statement in response to the Independent Review of Maternity Services in Nottingham, the findings of which were published this week.

    They said there were “echoes” of the Nottingham findings in three reviews into Swansea Bay’s own services that reported last year — the Family Review, the Llais Review and the board’s own Independent Review.

    “We want to acknowledge the impact yesterday’s report may have had on the families in the Swansea Bay area who experienced a devastating outcome because of care we provided that did not meet the standards expected,” the statement said.

    The board said it wanted to apologise again “to the women, babies and families who experienced poor care in our services, and for the devastating and lifechanging outcomes that some women and families experienced.”

    It encouraged any women, past or present, who wanted to raise concerns to come forward, and gave contact details for doing so.

    The apology follows a year in which Swansea Bay’s maternity care has been the subject of repeated scrutiny.

    Last summer, an independent review found repeated failings in the board’s maternity services, pointing to “repeated failures in the quality of care and governance” and prompting the Welsh Government to escalate its intervention.

    A Scottish health leader was later brought in to scrutinise the board’s maternity overhaul, while the Welsh Government commissioned a Wales-wide review of maternity and neonatal services led by a former Children’s Commissioner.

    The board said it was implementing a Perinatal Improvement Plan, overseen by a dedicated programme board, and that its Perinatal Committee now reported to every public board meeting.

    It said an Independent Oversight Panel remained in place and had recently spent two days visiting its services, with a report on its assessment expected shortly.

    The board said it would set out its improvement work in detail at its July board meeting, where members will sign off the final plan.

    It added that it would review the findings of the Nottingham review, and a further report expected shortly from Baroness Amos, and cross-reference them with its own review and the Welsh Government’s national assessment.

    The statement came in the same week the board’s accounts revealed a £112m overspend and a clinical negligence bill that had more than doubled in a year.

    The board said it remained “fully committed to continuing to strengthen how we listen to women and families, to continuing to learn and to improve.”

    Women with questions or concerns about maternity care they previously received can email [email protected] or call 01639 684440. Those currently receiving care who need advice or support can call 01792 517904.

    If you have been affected by baby loss or are struggling, the Samaritans can be reached at any time on 116 123.

    Related stories from Swansea Bay News

    Independent review finds repeated failings in Swansea Bay maternity care
    The damning review that prompted the Welsh Government to escalate its intervention.

    Scottish health leader brought in to scrutinise maternity overhaul
    Independent oversight of the board’s improvement work.

    Swansea Bay £112m in the red and failed by auditors
    The board’s accounts revealed the same week as this statement.

    #maternity #maternityUnit #neonatal #NHSWales #SingletonHospital #Swansea #SwanseaBayUniversityHealthBoard
  5. HEALTH BOARD: Swansea Bay £112m in the red and failed by auditors — as payouts for blunders double in a year of scandals

    Swansea Bay’s health board has blown its budget by £112m over three years — and is now about to be marked down by auditors for the way it has handled public money.

    The figures go before a special board meeting this morning, with auditors due to sign them off tomorrow.

    And they don’t make easy reading. The board was meant to balance its books over three years. Instead the gap has got bigger every year.

    It overspent by £16.8m, then £42.5m, then a hefty £53.2m last year — £112.4m in total.

    Because it missed that target and had no proper plan to fix it, auditors are issuing what’s known as a qualified opinion. In plain terms, it’s a black mark: a formal warning that the money hasn’t been kept within the limits set.

    The board was only able to keep paying its staff and suppliers because the Welsh Government stepped in with £74m of emergency cash last year. None of it has to be paid back.

    But one figure in the accounts says more than the rest. The amount the board has set aside to cover claims when its care goes wrong has more than doubled in a year — from £18.8m to £40.3m.

    The total put by for all negligence and injury claims jumped from £23.7m to £49.8m, though much of that is covered by a shared NHS pot.

    That money is the board’s own estimate of what it expects to pay out — and it has shot up in a year when one watchdog after another has laid bare serious failings in its care.

    The accounts don’t say which cases drove the bill up. But it lands on top of a run of scandals readers here will know all too well — at a board that runs both Singleton and Morriston hospitals in Swansea, Neath Port Talbot Hospital in Baglan and community sites across Swansea and Neath Port Talbot.

    Last summer, an independent review found repeated failings in the board’s maternity care — so serious the Welsh Government was forced to step in and take charge.

    It came after families spoke out about the shocking treatment of new mothers at Singleton Hospital, with some saying they would never have another baby after what they went through.

    Then there was the knee surgery patient who accused the board of “cooking the books” after his five-year wait was quietly wiped from the records. The Ombudsman called it a “systemic failure” and the board’s chief executive was forced to say sorry.

    Even the hospital kitchen made headlines, when a cockroach infestation shut it down for a month.

    Metal shutters cover the windows at Gorseinon Hospital

    And in Gorseinon, the board was forced to send its chair and chief executive to face councillors in person and insist it was not closing the town’s hospital, after beds were moved out and metal security plates appeared on the windows.

    Today’s accounts pile the money worries on top of all that. Auditors have also raised concerns about the way the board hands out its top interim jobs — the very posts now in charge of sorting out its finances.

    Once the board signs them off, the accounts go to the Welsh Government by the end of the month.

    For a health board already saying sorry on so many fronts, a failed set of accounts and a soaring payout bill cap off a year it will want to forget.

    Related stories from Swansea Bay News

    Independent review finds repeated failings in Swansea Bay maternity care
    Welsh Government forced to step in after a damning review of maternity and neonatal services.

    ‘Cooking the books’: Ombudsman slams ‘systemic failure’ over waiting lists
    A patient’s five-year wait was wiped from the records, sparking a public apology.

    Gorseinon Hospital bosses pledge: ‘We are not closing this hospital’
    Chair and chief executive face councillors after beds are moved and windows plated over.

    #AuditWales #featured #GorseinonHospital #maternity #MorristonHospital #NeathPortTalbotHospital #NHSWales #SingletonHospital #SwanseaBayUniversityHealthBoard
  6. SWANSEA: MBE news reaches cancer doctor 5,000 miles away as he teaches in India

    A Swansea cancer consultant was more than 5,000 miles from home — teaching on a course in India — when he found out he had been awarded an MBE.

    Dr Martin Rolles, a consultant clinical oncologist at the South West Wales Cancer Centre at Singleton Hospital, was recognised in the King’s Birthday Honours for his services to healthcare science and cancer care.

    The honour was announced while he was in Kolkata, working as a faculty member on a course that helps train the next generation of cancer doctors — and the news travelled fast.

    “One of the people who was in India with me found out about it and then informed everybody. I started receiving emails and texts while I was trying to teach,” he said.

    “And of course my mother has told every person in her address book.”

    Dr Rolles said the first he knew of the award was a confidential letter from the Cabinet Office two months ago, and that he still has no idea who nominated him.

    He was quick to share the credit with colleagues across South Wales.

    “It really belongs to everyone I’ve worked with over the last 20 years in South Wales and to all the various committees I belong to,” he said.

    “I’ve been really lucky to work with a fantastic bunch of people and what we have achieved, we have achieved as a team.”

    He added: “We have brought cancer services in South West Wales up to national standards and European standards. There is still a long way to go but it’s a lovely place to work.”

    Dr Rolles specialises in head and neck cancer and non-melanoma skin cancer. After studying zoology at the University of Bristol, he read medicine at the University of Wales.

    Following specialist training in Wessex and a radiotherapy fellowship at the Vancouver Cancer Centre, he returned to Wales in 2006 to take up a consultant post in Swansea.

    Alongside his clinical work, he chairs the Welsh Health Sciences Committee, which gives independent scientific advice to the Welsh Government, as well as the Wales Cancer Network Clinical Reference Group and two all-Wales advisory groups on advanced radiotherapy.

    He is also vice chair of the Council of the Royal College of Radiologists, and a strong advocate for clinical research, currently leading national trials into head and neck and skin cancer.

    The course that took him to India is the Cardiff FRCR Course, a non-profit run by consultant oncologists and senior trainees based at the South West Wales Cancer Centre and Velindre Cancer Centre.

    Founded in 1986, it prepares oncology trainees for the final exams they must pass to become consultants. It launched in India in 2019 and expanded to Hong Kong four years later, with Dr Rolles on the faculty since 2006.

    “It’s hard work but good fun, and we feel we are doing something really useful,” he said.

    As for the award itself, he admitted to mixed feelings about the attention.

    “Being the centre of attention is slightly embarrassing but receiving the award is very nice. It has come as a massive surprise,” he said.

    Dr Rolles is one of more than a dozen people from across Swansea Bay and Carmarthenshire recognised in this year’s King’s Birthday Honours — a list that also included a Swansea University professor appointed OBE for her work on suicide prevention, a hospice nurse in Carmarthen, and a long-serving city councillor honoured shortly before his death.

    The recognition comes at a busy time for the Singleton cancer centre, which is undergoing a £14m development to transform how cancer is diagnosed across the region and recently saw its research work boosted by a six-figure investment.

    Related stories from Swansea Bay News

    KING’S BIRTHDAY HONOURS: The Swansea Bay and Carmarthenshire names on this year’s list
    Every local name recognised in this year’s honours.

    £14 million Singleton Hospital development to transform cancer diagnoses
    The major project reshaping cancer diagnosis across South West Wales.

    Cancer centre’s pioneering research boosted with six-figure investment
    Fresh funding for research at the South West Wales Cancer Centre.

    #KingSBirthdayHonours #MartinRolles #SingletonHospital #SouthWestWalesCancerCentre
  7. SWANSEA: ‘We couldn’t say his name without getting emotional’ — the Singleton midwife so kind that parents named their baby after him

    A Swansea couple have given their baby a midwife’s name as his middle name — in tribute to the care they received at Singleton Hospital during one of the most frightening nights of their lives.

    Shania Jenkins, 26, and partner Liam John are now the proud parents of Tobias Michael John — with the middle name chosen to honour midwife Michael Nixon, who looked after Shania when she haemorrhaged after delivering baby Tobi prematurely last September.

    Shania Jenkins with baby Tobi, who was born at 34 weeks at Singleton Hospital. Image: Swansea Bay University Health Board

    “His kindness just made everything better,” said Shania, who lives in Bynea. “For a few days after we couldn’t even say Michael’s name without getting emotional. And that is when we made the decision to put his name into Tobi.”

    The pregnancy had been complicated from the start. Shania has a rare form of diabetes called MODY — maturity-onset diabetes of the young — and had to be monitored throughout. Then, living in Bridgend, she went to Princess of Wales Hospital for a routine scan only to be told she was going into labour at just 28 weeks.

    She was transferred to Singleton, where doctors gave her medication to slow the labour. “They couldn’t guarantee he wouldn’t come early,” Shania said. “But it worked. He stayed in for an extra six weeks.”

    Tobi was eventually born at 34 weeks, weighing four pounds eight ounces — a good weight for a premature baby. But his arrival was far from straightforward. After two days of slow labour with little progress, Shania went home — only to return almost immediately with contractions.

    Liam John, Shania Jenkins and baby Tobi at Christmas. Image: Swansea Bay University Health Board

    Back at Singleton, the couple were supported through the night by midwife Abbey Hughes. “She was rubbing my back. She was making us laugh,” Shania said. “I really appreciated that because it didn’t make me feel as scared.”

    The following day midwife Kristy McCullar took over — equally supportive, the couple said. Then Tobi arrived — and Shania began to haemorrhage.

    It was at that point that Michael Nixon came to the fore. Obstetric registrar Dr Aishvarya Gupta and Michael stopped the bleeding, while Tobi was taken to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Michael stayed with Shania to monitor her.

    “He told me that, even though Tobi wasn’t with me, he was more than happy for me to go to Tobi if I felt up to it,” Shania recalled. “And then he wheeled my bed up to NICU so I could see him.”

    When the time came for Liam to go home, Shania whispered to him that she was anxious about being alone after haemorrhaging — not intending Michael to hear. “He must have overheard me because he came back in with a pull-out bed and said Liam could stay on that. He came back every hour — not just to check on me but to reassure me that the bleeding had not restarted.”

    “He was just really good at knowing what I needed without me needing to say it,” she said. “He looked after Liam too. He was just so kind and compassionate. Michael just being there uplifted everything.”

    Michael said he was deeply moved when he learned the couple had given Tobi his name. “It’s something I will never forget and feel incredibly honoured by,” he said. “Knowing that my care made a difference during what was a frightening and overwhelming experience is incredibly humbling.”

    He said midwives aimed to provide not just clinical care but reassurance, honesty and compassion at times of greatest vulnerability. “Supporting someone through uncertainty and separation from their baby is never something we take lightly,” he said.

    As for Tobi, now several months old, he is doing well. “He’s got the most hair I have ever seen on a baby,” Shania said. “He’s thriving. He’s such a happy, smiley baby.”

    Liam John with a smiley Tobi Image: Swansea Bay University Health Board

    Related stories from Swansea Bay News

    Singleton Hospital stories from Swansea Bay News
    All our coverage from Singleton Hospital and Swansea Bay University Health Board.

    #Bynea #maternity #midwife #SingletonHospital #SwanseaBayUniversityHealthBoard
  8. SWANSEA: Thousands of old cancer centre X-rays destroyed — but their silver is heading to the Royal Mint

    Thousands of old X-ray films from Swansea’s cancer centre are being destroyed – but not before the silver they contain has been extracted and sold on to the Royal Mint in Llantrisant, where it could end up as Welsh jewellery.

    Staff at the South West Wales Cancer Centre at Singleton Hospital teamed up with specialist metal extraction firm Betts to recover silver from more than 8,000 X-ray films that had passed their retention period and were due for destruction.

    The process generated a rebate of more than £1,000 for the radiotherapy department.

    Anna Iles, interim head of service for radiotherapy, said the films were a legacy of an older era of cancer treatment. “Historically, for radiotherapy treatment we would produce hard copy X-ray films to verify treatment,” she said. “Now it’s all done electronically.”

    The films had originally been stored in the radiotherapy department at Singleton, but as the department expanded the space was needed for other uses.

    They were moved to an external storage facility in Cardiff – at a cost to the health board.

    When Swansea Bay University Health Board later acquired its own storage facility in Llansamlet, space became available at Singleton for the films to be brought back from Cardiff. That repatriation in itself generated a significant saving for the department.

    Of the more than 16,000 X-rays held in storage, around half had passed their retention period and could be lawfully destroyed. Rather than simply disposing of them, the team identified that the films contained recoverable silver and linked up with Betts to extract it.

    The process required careful sign-off before it could go ahead. “We worked closely with colleagues in information governance to get sign off that we could send the X-rays to Betts, where they extracted the silver and we then got a rebate of more than £1,000,” said Iles.

    The story has an additional Welsh twist. While Betts is based in England, the firm works in partnership with the Royal Mint in Llantrisant – meaning the silver recovered from X-rays taken in Swansea could return to Wales in an entirely new form.

    “Betts works in partnership with the Royal Mint, selling the recovered silver, which is then used in the creation of jewellery,” said Iles. “It is quite nice that there is the potential for the silver to come full circle back to Wales.”

    The remaining 8,000 or so films that are still within their retention period will continue to be stored until they too can be lawfully destroyed – at which point the same silver extraction process is expected to be repeated.

    The South West Wales Cancer Centre provides radiotherapy and oncology services for patients across the Swansea Bay University Health Board area and beyond. It is based at Singleton Hospital on the edge of Swansea Bay.

    Swansea Bay University Health Board says the project demonstrates how clinical teams can find creative and sustainable ways to generate savings and reduce waste – while also ensuring sensitive patient information is securely destroyed in the process.

    #jewellery #Radiotherapy #RoyalMint #SingletonHospital #SouthWestWalesCancerCentre #SwanseaUniversityHealthBoard #XRay
  9. Dr Sian Williams announced as ambassador for cancer charity Maggie’s

    The BBC presenter, who hosts the Radio 4 programme Life Changing and is also a counselling psychologist, has been involved with the cancer care charity for 10 years.

    She joins the likes of broadcaster Mark Chapman, Emmerdale star Lisa Riley and recording artist AJ Tracey as Maggie’s marks its 30th year of supporting people with cancer.

    The Swansea branch of Maggie’s, located on the grounds of Singleton Hospital, offers free practical, emotional, and social support to anyone living with cancer, as well as their family and friends.

    Having opened by then, First Minister Carwyn Jones on December 9, 2011, to address the critical need for holistic cancer support in South West Wales, Maggie’s in Swansea sees approximately 3,000 new cancer diagnoses every year.

    Locally, Swansea City Football Club has been associated with Maggie’s as its charitable partner since August 2023, with a campaign titled “Tackling Cancer Together”.

    The club chose Maggie’s due to the charity’s direct impact on the local community and the personal experiences of club figures with cancer. 

    They launched an eye-catching pink third kit for the 2023–24 season dedicated to the partnership. The design featured coloured spots representing common types of cancer, with £3 from each sale donated to Maggie’s.

    Swansea City legends Alan Curtis MBE and Kev Johns MBE have long-standing ties to the charity, serving as ambassadors for the Swansea centre following their own cancer diagnoses.

    Dr Sian Williams said: “I am delighted to be asked to become an ambassador for Maggie’s. I know how brilliantly and compassionately they deliver expert and holistic care to those going through cancer and their family and friends.

    “I’ve worked at Maggie’s and had a cancer experience too, so I know what an enormous difference that support can make. I am looking forward to working even more closely with the charity to make sure they can reach as many people as possible at what is potentially the hardest time of their lives.”

    After many years as a news presenter on the BBC, including on BBC Breakfast, Dr Sian studied for a Master’s Degree in Psychology, followed by a Professional Doctorate in Counselling Psychology. 

    During her training as a counselling psychologist, she undertook a placement at Maggie’s West London at Charing Cross Hospital, where she spent 18 months facilitating support groups and delivering one-to-one therapy. 

    Since then, Dr Sian has, amongst other things, spoken at a carol concert to raise funds for Maggie’s, hosted a panel discussion on men, cancer and mental health in the Senedd for the charity, and taken part in Maggie’s campaigns to raise awareness of treatment induced crash menopause. 

    Dr Sian has personal experience of cancer after being diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 50 in 2014. Her treatment included a double mastectomy. The author has since expressed how her experience made her realise what a difference the right support can make. 

    Dame Laura Lee DBE, chief executive of Maggie’s, said: “We are so pleased to announce Dr Sian as an ambassador for Maggie’s. As a psychologist and someone with lived experience of cancer, I know she truly understands our support and the needs of our centre visitors.

    “We are marking 30 years of transformative cancer care this year  and are more committed than ever to making sure everyone with cancer, and their family and friends, has access to our free expert, practical, emotional and psychological support. It’s wonderful to welcome Dr Sian to the Maggie’s family during our 30th year.” 

    Maggie’s has been providing free, expert emotional and practical support for people with cancer for 30 years.

    [Lead image: BBC]

    #BBC #DrSianWilliams #KevJohns #Maggies #SingletonHospital
  10. ‘I told them she was nine months pregnant and she might die’ — Swansea mum gives birth in A&E during cardiac emergency

    Alanna Rooke was almost 40 weeks pregnant when she suffered a seizure at her home in Mount Pleasant, Swansea. Her husband Simon called 999 but, fearing she couldn’t wait for an ambulance, drove her straight to Morriston himself.

    When she arrived at the emergency department, Alanna was found to be experiencing supraventricular tachycardia — a condition that causes the heart to beat dangerously fast. Her heart was beating at over 200 times a minute, more than twice the normal rate, while her oxygen levels had plummeted to just 80%, well below the safe threshold.

    Simon described the terrifying journey to hospital. “I called 999 and probably lost my cool a little bit. I was asked if I could take her pulse but she was shaking so much I couldn’t,” he said. “I told them she was nine months pregnant and she might die. She was on the floor being sick. I was thinking ‘this can’t be happening?’”

    Two midwives were urgently summoned from Neath Port Talbot Hospital to assist the ED team. It quickly became clear that Alanna was not only critically ill — she was also in labour.

    Midwives Amanda Morgan and Claire Itzstein, and registrar Tom Protheroe, with Alanna, Simon and Franklyn Brooke
    (Image: Swansea Bay University Health Board)

    Community midwife Amanda Morgan described the moment they realised the full scale of what they were dealing with. “She was very clammy and disorientated and she was acutely unwell,” she said. “We were concerned she would arrest because the heart is under the most strain when the mother is in labour.”

    Despite the extraordinary circumstances, baby Franklyn arrived safely, weighing a healthy 8lb 2oz. Community midwife manager Claire Itzstein, who helped deliver him, said it was one of the most challenging situations she had encountered in years of practice. “It was very surreal to be delivering a baby next to a defibrillator,” she said. “We were definitely out of our comfort zone.”

    Alanna was treated for the SVT during and after the birth. She says she has no doubt she owes her life to the staff who cared for her. “I didn’t realise how bad I was until I was seen by the doctors,” she said. “I don’t think I would be here without them or the midwives. They were all so professional.”

    Babies have not been routinely born at Morriston Hospital for more than 30 years — maternity services moved to Singleton Hospital in 1991. Since then there have been just two unexpected births at Morriston since 2014, with the last one also taking place in the ED eight years ago.

    Franklyn was later transferred to the neonatal intensive care unit at Singleton Hospital, where he spent six days before being allowed home with his relieved family.

    Director of Midwifery Kathryn Greaves said the birth was a testament to the teamwork between ED and maternity staff. “I will be forever grateful of how the ED staff allowed us to take over and support this wonderful family,” she said. “It made my day to be beside Claire and Amanda who were incredible.”

    Alanna has said she had no history of serious heart problems before the episode. “I’d never had any issues with my heart before, apart from the odd palpitation I put down to exercise,” she said. “I blacked out in the car so I don’t remember much, but I was sick and in pain in the house, and my chest was tight.”

    More from Swansea Bay News

    More health and care news
    The latest stories from across the Swansea Bay health board area.

    #AccidentAndEmergency #EmergencyDepartment #maternity #midwifery #MorristonHospital #MountPleasant #SingletonHospital #Swansea #SwanseaBayUniversityHealthBoard
  11. Health board issues update amid fears hospital could close

    Concerns were raised when metal shutters appeared on the windows of the hospital Gorseinon Hospital in Swansea(Image: Copyright…
    #NewsBeep #News #Healthcare #Gorseinon #Health #healthcare #SingletonHospital #Swansea #UK #UnitedKingdom
    newsbeep.com/uk/480420/

  12. MOTORISTS WARNED: Three months of lane closures on Mumbles Road for gas pipe upgrade

    Motorists are being warned to expect delays as a major gas pipe upgrade is set to begin on Mumbles Road next week, bringing with it three months of phased lane closures.

    Wales & West Utilities will start work on 4 March to replace over 1,000 metres of gas pipes in the area, a project described as “vital to ensuring gas continues to flow safely and reliably to homes and businesses.”

    The work, which is scheduled to finish in June, has been planned in conjunction with Swansea Council to minimise disruption. While access will be maintained at all times and traffic will still be able to travel in all directions, lane closures will be in place and motorists are advised to allow extra travel time.

    Crucially, the project has been planned to avoid working on Mumbles Road itself during the busy Easter school holidays.

    The work will be carried out in three phases:

    •Phase 1: Mumbles Road at the junction with Sketty Lane (4 – 27 March)

    •Phase 2: Mill Lane (30 March – 10 April)

    •Phase 3: Mumbles Road at the junction of Mill Lane (13 April – 15 June)

    Wales & West Utilities’ Adam Smith, who is managing the work, said the project was essential for the community.

    “We know that working in areas like this is not ideal, but it is essential to make sure we keep the gas flowing to homes and businesses in the area, and to make sure the gas network is fit for the future,” he said.

    “While most of the gas network is underground and out of sight, it plays a central role in the daily lives of this community. Whether it’s heating your home, making the family dinner, or having a hot bath, we understand how important it is for your gas supply to be safe and reliable and there when you need it.”

    He added that the work would also ensure the network is ready to transport green gases in the future.

    #gasNetwork #gasPipeUpgrade #motoring #Mumbles #MumblesRoad #roadworks #SingletonHospital #Sketty #SkettyLane #Swansea #SwanseaCouncil #SwanseaUniversity #traffic #WalesWestUtilities #WalesAndWestUtilities
  13. Swansea Bay doctors pioneer cancer drug breakthrough that could extend lives across Wales

    Medics at Swansea Bay University Health Board have discovered that by using genetic testing to identify a specific protein in patients’ blood, they can determine when to reintroduce the drug Panitumumab at a different stage in treatment, significantly extending life expectancy.

    The breakthrough involves using a medical testing protocol called “re-challenge”, where the medication is administered, withdrawn and then given again at a different point in the patient’s care pathway.

    Consultant oncologist Dr Craig Barrington said the approach is believed to be unique globally.

    “We are not aware of any other country having this option for re-challenge, guided by genetic testing,” Dr Barrington said. “It is another exciting option for Welsh patients.

    “We predict there’s going to be about 30 to 50 patients in Wales a year that may well get additional benefit from the use of this drug.”

    Panitumumab is used to treat patients with metastatic and incurable left-sided colon cancer. The drug is not suitable for all patients, working only on those who have intact proteins rather than mutated ones.

    Swansea Bay has been offering the drug for the past couple of years through the One Wales Medicines process, which provides access to treatments outside current marketing authorisation or licensing and prior to approval by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). Panitumumab received One Wales approval last June.

    The consultants reassessed the drug’s use following a trial involving a test that looks for a specific DNA tumour protein in the blood. This test identified patients who could potentially benefit from re-challenge with Panitumumab, with a subsequent study confirming the effectiveness of the approach.

    Dr Barrington explained that the drug works on approximately 50 per cent of patients from the beginning of cancer treatment. However, about 30 per cent of those exposed to it develop mutations, meaning reintroducing the drug would not provide any benefit for them.

    “This drug works on patients if they have intact proteins. If proteins are mutated it won’t work,” he said.

    One patient who benefited from the pioneering approach was Wyn Thomas from Gower, a former medical physicist who was 74 when he was diagnosed with stage four colon cancer in September 2021.

    Although Mr Thomas has since died, the drug gave him months of precious extra time with his family before he passed away in March 2025 at the age of 76.

    His wife Liz said the family had not expected him to have much time when he received his diagnosis.

    “He was asked if he wanted to consider whether he wanted quality or longevity of life left, he said he wanted to live as long as he could,” Mrs Thomas said. “But he ended up with a good quality of life. He never gave up and was very determined.”

    She described how her husband maintained an active life throughout much of his treatment.

    “Throughout the summer of 2024 he was really good; he was out and about, cutting the grass, and at Christmas he was stuffing the turkey and carrying logs,” she said.

    “We knew it would not last forever, and last January he complained of a pain in the knee, and he died in March. He only had about four or six weeks when he was desperately ill.”

    Dr Barrington said he was convinced Panitumumab had extended Mr Thomas’s life significantly.

    “When he first started cancer treatment, with what was available we think he would have had about two to two-and-a-half years, but he survived for three-and-a-half, so he outlived our prediction,” he said.

    “There is no doubt in my mind that is because of the medication. Without it, it would have been half the time.

    “Not only did we see that in the length of time since he commenced taking Panitumumab, but we also saw it on scans and the blood tests and how well he was responding to it.”

    Wyn Thomas, second from right, with sons Morgan, brother and composer Mark Thomas, cousin Stuart Hocknell, and son Lewys
    (Image: Swansea Bay University Health Board)

    Mr Thomas was the brother of Bafta-winning Twin Town composer Mark Thomas, who also created music for Wallace and Gromit animations. Mark died following his own cancer battle in 2023.

    Even during his treatment, Wyn continued to run his brother’s record label, collecting royalties and distributing them to musicians.

    Mrs Thomas praised the care her husband received at Singleton Hospital.

    “We tried everything for him, and he was alright for three-and-a-half years,” she said. “Everyone who supported him at Singleton was absolutely brilliant.”

    As with other drugs accessed through the One Wales Medicines process, patients are given full explanations about how Panitumumab has been accessed and are talked through current data and evidence before beginning treatment.

    #Cancer #CancerTreatment #drugTesting #NationalInstituteForHealthAndCareExcellence #NICE #oncologist #oncology #Panitumumab #SingletonHospital #Swansea #SwanseaBayUniversityHealthBoard
  14. £150m sport and health superhub breaks ground at Sketty Lane

    Diggers rolled onto the site this week as construction started on the National Institute for Sport and Health (NISH), a four‑storey landmark rising beside the Wales National Pool and directly opposite Singleton Hospital. The university says the location is no accident — the aim is to bring researchers, clinicians, athletes and industry specialists together in one place, with the hospital and sports facilities just steps away.

    The project is being delivered for Swansea University and funded through the Swansea Bay City Deal, with support from Swansea Council and local health boards. Pick Everard is managing the scheme, working with architects Powell Dobson and main contractor Willmott Dixon.

    Night‑time view of the planned sport and health superhub at Sketty Lane, with the building illuminated in the final design concept.
    (Image: Powell Dobson)

    Gareth Taylor, Principal Project Manager at Pick Everard, said the team has been shaping the project from the earliest stages. “Being involved from the early stages has given us a real understanding of how the building needs to operate, both now and in the future,” he said. “With the potential to make a genuine impact on health, sport and technology, delivering a project of this scale requires close collaboration across the full project team.”

    Swansea University describes the institute as the first facility of its kind in the UK — a place where new sports technology, medical devices and health innovations can be developed, tested and scaled without leaving the region.

    Professor Keith Lloyd, NISH Director, said the development will help put Swansea “on the global map” for research and innovation. “It will serve as a catalyst for discovery, investment, and improved wellbeing,” he said.

    Inside, the building will house teaching rooms, media studios, sports technology labs, collaborative workspaces and demonstration areas. The university says it will act as the anchor for a wider Science and Innovation Park planned for the Sketty Lane site, creating a real‑world environment where ideas can move quickly from concept to testing.

    Project leaders say the development will create more than 1,000 jobs in the Swansea area and contribute over £150 million to the regional economy by 2033.

    #construction #NationalInstituteForSportAndHealth #NISH #PickEverard #PowellDobsonArchitects #SingletonHospital #SkettyLane #sport #Swansea #SwanseaBayCityDeal #SwanseaBayUniversityHealthBoard #SwanseaCouncil #SwanseaUniversity #WalesNationalPool #WillmottDixon
  15. Swansea Bay hospitals full as health board urges families to take loved ones home

    Swansea Bay’s three main hospitals — Morriston Hospital, Singleton Hospital and Neath Port Talbot Hospital — have declared a Business Continuity Incident, the Health Board’s highest level of escalation. The Health Board says wards across all sites are now full, with bed pressures reaching critical levels.

    The Health Board says staff are working urgently to discharge patients who have completed their treatment, but delays in community services are slowing the process and creating a backlog for patients waiting for a bed.

    Families asked to help free up beds

    The Health Board says the situation has become so pressured that families’ support is now essential to help free up space.

    A Swansea Bay University Health Board spokesperson said:

    “If you have a loved one who has completed their treatment and they’ve been told they can leave hospital, please do everything you can to support their discharge.

    By providing this vital support you’ll not only be helping us to provide timely care to those patients who are waiting for a bed, but you’ll be helping your loved one to recover better.”

    Why staying in hospital too long can harm recovery

    The Health Board says remaining in hospital after treatment is complete can slow recovery, weaken muscles, increase the risk of infection and affect mental wellbeing.

    A Swansea Bay University Health Board spokesperson said:

    “Hospital is the best place to be for anyone needing acute care following a serious illness, injury or surgery.

    But once treatment is complete, returning home as soon as possible helps people feel more like themselves.”

    Staff working to manage the pressure

    The Health Board says its teams across Swansea Bay’s hospitals and community services are “pulling out all the stops” to manage the pressure, but the situation remains extremely challenging.

    Related stories from Swansea Bay News

    New location for blood tests in Singleton Hospital
    Singleton Hospital services continue to shift as the Health Board reorganises capacity across its sites.

    Ombudsman slams “systemic failure” at Health Board over knee surgery scandal
    A major investigation criticised the Health Board’s handling of patient care, adding pressure to already stretched services.

    Swansea Bay doctors say paracetamol switch is a win for kids, cash and climate
    Local clinicians highlight changes aimed at easing pressure on services while improving outcomes for families.

    Health Board says pioneering hospital solar farm saves £4m
    The Health Board reports major savings from its renewable energy project as wider NHS reforms are announced.

    #bedPressures #BusinessContinuityIncident #dischargeDelays #featured #MorristonHospital #NeathPortTalbot #NeathPortTalbotHospital #NHSWales #SingletonHospital #Swansea #SwanseaBayUniversityHealthBoard
  16. New location for blood tests in Singleton Hospital

    The new location is adjacent to the main outpatients department, eye clinics, and pre-assessment department at the front of the hospital. It is also near to the main patient car park and the bus stop and benefits from its own entrance and reception area.

    Phlebotomy Service Manager, Adell Owen-Goddard said:

    “The decision to move was driven by several key factors, with the main one being accessibility challenges.

    “The historic location posed difficulties for patients with mobility issues, had limited parking and outdated infrastructure.

    “Our valued volunteers will be on hand to help with any queries during the early weeks and our experienced teams will provide the best care.

    “We thank our service users at Singleton for their patience during the transitional period of moving a key service from the pathology block. It will now be situated appropriately with other key outpatient services at our front door.”

    The new clinic space will be in use from Monday, 22nd December 2025.

    There will be no disruption to pre-booked appointments. If you have an appointment please attend via the main entrance and you will be directed appropriately.

    [Lead image: Swansea Bay University Health Board]

    #bloodTest #featured #SingletonHospital
  17. Long-serving Swansea NHS healthcare professional signs off with lifetime achievement award

    Miss Sheryl Morris, Senior Chief Cardiorespiratory Physiologist, who recently retired from SBUHB after more than 45 years of service at Singleton Hospital’s Cardiology Department, now holds a British Society of Echocardiography Lifetime Achievement Award.

    The British Society of Echocardiography presents the Lifetime Achievement Award annually to recognise members who have contributed significantly, and demonstrated outstanding achievements and longevity, within the field of echocardiography.

    Dr Geraint Morris, Consultant Paediatrician and Clinical Apprenticeship Lead and Honorary Senior Lecturer, Swansea University Medical School, said:

    Sheryl had been widely acknowledged as “an expert” in her field who had always gone “above and beyond” to do an “immeasurably large amount of good” for those in her care, stating he couldn’t think of anyone more “deserving” of the award, labelling it “a fitting gesture to mark the end of a career of which she can be extremely proud.”

    “I can’t imagine that anyone deserves this more than she does, and we think this will be a fitting gesture to mark the end of a career of which she can be extremely proud, and during which she did an immeasurably large amount of good to the children, young people, and families under her care.

    “Sheryl worked tirelessly as an NHS Cardiorespiratory Physiologist in Swansea for more than 45 years and developed expertise in paediatric echocardiography.

    “She trained in Swansea and in Cardiff and started offering a paediatric echocardiography service in the late 1990s. Since then, Sheryl has been widely acknowledged as an expert in this skill among local and tertiary paediatric cardiology colleagues.

    “Sheryl has always gone above and beyond in her post, from providing biscuits and refreshments for clinical colleagues in outpatient clinics, to staying on, well beyond her working hours, to ensure children who require urgent investigations get them, and acting, in many instances, as a conduit between clinical teams.

    “It would be impossible to adequately assess the magnitude of the amassed hours that Sheryl has put into her job – finishing reports, replying to emails, and preparing for clinics, often alone in the department, when others have long gone home. Suffice to say that it has not gone unnoticed and her colleagues of all grades and disciplines are very grateful to her.

    “Despite some significant health problems, Sheryl has seldom had any time off work. She is extremely resilient, and her dogged determination to complete all her duties to a high standard has never left a task unfinished. She has always, imperceptibly, booked annual leave to ‘suit’ the clinical work and has never begrudged the additional burden that this must have placed on her personal life.”

    Dr Morris praised Sheryl for being a constant within the service over the years.

    He said: “During times of rapid changes in healthcare, including transitions between clinicians, Sheryl is the one constant that her young patients have been able to recognise and expect to see in their hospital visits, from infancy to adulthood. Often patients, when explaining their histories, will address her, not so much the clinician in the room!”

    Her contribution to the children’s service was recognised in the Health Board’s Chairman’s Awards Ceremony on 5th July 2018 with a Highly Commended award in recognition of her outstanding work.

    Sheryl also played a role in shaping future careers.

    Dr Morris said: “With the high number of young paediatric trainees who worked in the paediatric and neonatal services at Swansea, inevitably some developed an interest in paediatric cardiology and Sheryl was instrumental in teaching them echocardiography, and many of these have gone on to become consultants in various parts of the world, retaining the skills that Sheryl taught them.

    “More recently, Sheryl has taught all our current excellent team of paediatric physiologists, from beginner level through to passing their European Accreditation Examination in paediatric echocardiography.”

    Dr Morris added that Sheryl had proved to be the ‘model’ work colleague over the years.

    He said: “On top of all her work-related achievements, she has been an extremely pleasant and agreeable colleague – she has never said a word in anger. She can be firm when needed but never crossed that professional line with her own feelings or views. Indeed, she has always been very cheerful, and her lovely smile has an uplifting effect on all around her.”

    The award came out of the blue for Sheryl.

    She said: “Receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award was a total surprise.

    “I have been fortunate to have had a career that I have thoroughly enjoyed-particularly echocardiography. I have a lot of people to thank over the years for getting me to this point – too many to mention.

    “I particularly want to thank all my colleagues who took the time to nominate me for this award as they thought I was deserving of it. I am truly overwhelmed and touched.

    “This is the ‘icing on the cake’ of my career. Thank you so much. Diolch yn fawr!”

    [Lead image: Swansea Bay University Health Board]

    #BritishSociety #cardiology #Echocardiography #SingletonHospital #SwanseaBayNHS #SwanseaBayUniversityHealthBoard

  18. Brothers rally to raise £3,000 after mum’s breast cancer diagnosis

    When single mum Meinir Morgan sat her four teenage sons down just before Christmas to tell them she had breast cancer, she described it as the worst day of her life.

    “I broke four hearts that day,” she said. “As their only constant, for me to have cancer wrecked their worlds.”

    Meinir, from Birchgrove, had discovered a lump while on holiday in Florida. Within days of returning home she was seen at Singleton Hospital’s Breast Care Unit and, after a series of tests, was diagnosed with HER2+ cancer.

    Treatment began on New Year’s Day: four months of chemotherapy, followed by surgery, radiotherapy and a year‑long course of immunotherapy. The side‑effects were brutal. “Chemo was rough, and I was hospitalised twice,” she recalled. “It was so hard on the boys to see me so ill. I lost my hair, but we made light of it with jokes about wigs and colours.”

    A teenage response to heartbreak

    For Lewis (18), Rhys (17), Ioan (15) and Iestyn (13), the news was devastating — but their response was immediate.

    “It was almost instant,” said Lewis. “We thought, we’ve just got to crack on. The best way to support Mum was to raise money for the people taking care of her.”

    With the backing of their school, Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Bryn Tawe, the brothers organised a bake sale, joined the Race for Life 5k, and hosted an afternoon tea. They also set up a JustGiving page, nervously setting a £500 target.

    They needn’t have worried. Donations poured in, and by the end they had raised £3,150.

    Meinir Morgan and her sons present a fundraising cheque to members of Singleton Hospital’s Breast Care Unit team.
    (Image: Swansea Bay University Health Board)

    Giving back to those who cared

    Earlier this month, the family returned to Singleton Hospital to hand over cheques of £1,500 each to the Chemotherapy Day Unit and the Breast Care Unit. The remaining £150 went to Cancer Research UK.

    Meinir said she was “immensely proud” of her sons:

    “When they were facing the worst news and scared of what the future held, they decided this was a positive focus for them — all while sitting A‑levels and GCSEs. It’s been the most challenging year, but they have been awesome.”

    Community pride

    Cathy Stevens, community support officer for Swansea Bay Health Charity, praised the boys’ determination:

    “Throughout the entire journey, they kept their mum at the heart of everything they did. The result is a truly amazing achievement. Da iawn.”

    For Meinir, the fundraising has been more than just money raised. It has given her sons a way to channel their fear into something positive. “They’ve been surrounded by great friends and support from the school,” she said. “I couldn’t be prouder.”

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    #Birchgrove #BreastCancer #breastCancerFundraising #BreastCareUnit #Cancer #CancerResearchUK #Chemotherapy #ChemotherapyDayUnit #fundraising #immunotherapy #Radiotherapy #SingletonHospital #SwanseaBayHealthCharity #SwanseaBayUniversityHealthBoard #YsgolGyfunBrynTawe

  19. £14 million Singleton Hospital development to transform cancer diagnoses

    New home for PET‑CT scanning

    Since 2020, highly specialised PET‑CT scanning has been available at Singleton, sparing patients in the Swansea Bay and Hywel Dda health board areas from travelling to Cardiff.

    A PET‑CT scan combines computed tomography (CT) and positron emission tomography (PET) to provide highly detailed images. It can detect cancers and other diseases that may not appear on other scans, assess the size and spread of tumours, and show how well treatment is working.

    Until now, the service has been delivered from a mobile unit, limiting the range of scans and the number of days it can operate.

    Artist’s impression of the new £14 million PET‑CT facility at Singleton Hospital, due to open to patients in early 2027.
    (Image: Swansea Bay University Health Board)

    Expanded services and seven‑day scanning

    The new purpose‑built facility, funded by the Welsh Government as part of its all‑Wales PET‑CT programme, will allow Singleton to expand its services significantly.

    Professor Neil Hartman, Swansea Bay’s Head of Nuclear Medicine, said:

    “For the first time we will be able to do paediatric PET scanning. We will be able to do scanning under general anaesthetic, and brain scanning, which we are not able to do at the moment. And we will be able to do seven‑day‑a‑week scanning if we so wish.”

    Part of a national programme

    The Welsh Government’s PET‑CT programme aims to establish four static scanners across Wales within the next decade — in Swansea, Velindre, North Wales, and a fourth location yet to be confirmed.

    Construction at Singleton, led by contractor Tilbury Douglas, is expected to be completed by autumn 2026. Equipment installation will follow, with the first patients due to be scanned in early 2027.

    Designed with patients in mind

    The new building, located at the north end of the hospital site, will include six uptake rooms for patient preparation, a general anaesthesia room, and dedicated waiting and post‑screening areas. It has been carefully designed to avoid disrupting existing services and to protect established trees on the site.

    Christine Morrell, Swansea Bay’s Director of Allied Health Professionals and Health Science, said:

    “Our capacity and capability on the mobile unit were not giving us what we needed in terms of the population. We are looking forward to it being built and to being able to expand our services.”

    ‘Much‑needed development’

    Swansea Bay University Health Board Chair, Jan Williams, at the launch of the £14 million Singleton Hospital PET‑CT project.(Image: Swansea Bay University Health Board)

    Swansea Bay University Health Board Chair, Jan Williams, said she and Hywel Dda Chair Neil Wooding were delighted to see work begin:

    “This is an exciting development which is much needed for the population of South West Wales. It will give the expert staff who provide such excellent care the opportunity to enhance their service even further.”

    Related cancer care stories

    Hundreds of men involved in game‑changing Swansea prostate cancer trial
    A pioneering trial in Swansea is giving men access to cutting‑edge treatment and transforming outcomes for prostate cancer patients.

    Women’s touch rugby tournament scores big in aid of Swansea Bay’s Cancer Centre
    Local teams came together on the pitch to raise vital funds for cancer services, combining sport, community spirit and charity.

    Sisters step up to thank cancer centre that cared for their dad
    Two sisters took on a fundraising challenge to show gratitude to Swansea Bay’s Cancer Centre for the care given to their father.

    Pontardawe cancer survivor joins innovative follow‑up care trial
    A survivor from Pontardawe is helping to shape a new approach to follow‑up care, designed to improve quality of life after treatment.

    Jiffy’s Cancer 50 Challenge raises thousands for cancer care in South Wales
    Rugby legend Jonathan ‘Jiffy’ Davies led cyclists on a 50‑mile challenge, raising significant funds for cancer services across the region.

    Lord Mayor thanks Swansea for backing £200k cancer appeal
    Swansea’s Lord Mayor praised the generosity of shoppers and traders after a city market appeal smashed its £200,000 target for cancer care.

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