Health chiefs have taken the decision to address various concerns but the move is only temporaryGorseinon Hospital, whose in-patient ward will move temporarily to Singleton Hospital in Sketty (Image: Richard Youle )

Patients and staff at a community hospital ward in Swansea will move to a larger hospital seven miles away in a bid to address long-standing safety and workforce concerns. The temporary relocation of Gorseinon Hospital’s West Ward to Ward 3 at Singleton Hospital, Sketty, will be from October to next March.

Leaders at Swansea Bay University Health Board, which runs both hospitals, agreed to plan for the move earlier this month and then confirmed the transition at a meeting on September 25.

A board report said “significant and repeated” concerns have been raised by West Ward staff since February this year and that staff shortages were such that sometimes half of those working there were agency or hospital bank staff. The concerns, it said, inlcuded patient and staff safety, workforce skills mix, the ward’s isolation and “inconsistent management and leadership”.

West Ward provides “step down” beds for people from Swansea and Neath Port Talbot who can leave an acute setting but aren’t ready yet to go home. Never miss a Swansea story by signing up to our newsletter here

In April a letter outlining concerns claimed West Ward staff were looking after too many patients and patients who needed acute care. It alleged a high incidence of patient falls and that management was “defensive” when concerns were voiced.

The health board said it has been responding since February by engaging with staff and putting in more leadership support, among other things, but without the desired impact.

The idea is that the 30-bed Ward 3 at Singleton Hospital will improve patient safety and ward leadership and that out of hours “wrap around” cover will be available. In the background the health board will review the step down service and develop it in line with a wider clinical plan for Swansea and Neath Port Talbot.

The meeting heard that nearly 2,000 people in Gorseinon have signed a petition to save the hospital but health chiefs reiterated that it will remain open as it provided several other important services and would continue to do so. The freed-up space at West Ward could be used for other healthcare purposes temporarily.

Health board medical director Dr Richard Evans said he was particularly struck by the high proportion of temporary staff at West Ward and said this didn’t result in a “holistic service”.

Board members sought reassurance that staff at Singleton Hospital as well as West Ward staff were prepared for the transition and that further reliance on such a high proportion of temporary staff would be avoided.

They were advised that staffing arrangements for Ward 3 were being prepared under the leadership of a senior matron.

Deb Lewis, the health board’s chief operating officer, said West Ward had a budget for 30 beds but that up to 43 patients were cared for there at times.

She added that while Ward 3 at Singleton only has space for 30 beds there might be more beds available at the hospital. “The constraint is the budget,” she said.

The report said West Ward staff from the Gorseinon area would be reimbursed travel expenses when they relocated to Singleton Hospital. It added that there has been long-term sickness among management at West Ward – and workforce director Tina Ricketts said a review of the staffing and culture issues raised would be undertaken.