Calls for Welsh NHS inquiry

There is growing pressure tonight for a major inquiry into the care being offered at Welsh hospitals as yet more stories emerge of complaints from patients and their relatives.

In the latest incident, a Swansea man has called for investigations into the care offered for older people in Welsh hospitals, saying he's far from happy with the way his 87-year-old mother was treated.

The Welsh Government says there is 'a clear process for raising concerns in the health service without resorting to lengthy and expensive public inquiries at every opportunity.'

Plaid Cymru leader Leanne Wood has written to First Minister Carwyn Jones citing 'concerns' over standards of NHS care in Wales.

Her letter comes amidst growing calls for a major inquiry into the state of the Welsh NHS, similar to the high-profile Keogh inquiry carried out in England - the results of which were published earlier this month.

The Welsh Government said: 'We confirm a letter has been received. We will respond to it via the usual process in due course.'

Adam Cairns, the Chief Executive of Cardiff and Vale University Health Board - which runs the University Hospital of Wales - spoke to ITV News this evening.

He told Jonathan Hill that the findings of the report by the Royal College of Surgeons are "troubling, worrying and unacceptable".

He said the primary problem - of getting patients into the hospital - caused cancellations of planned procedures, and needs to be tackled with a "much more resilient plan" in future.

The man in charge of Wales' biggest hospital has revealed that 12 people have died over the last 15 months while waiting for cardiac surgery. The Royal College of Surgeons says that South Wales is the only part of the UK where patients are dying in such circumstances.

That's just one issue in a devastating review by the College at the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff.

Tonight the minister in charge of the Welsh health service said he was "very concerned" at the findings, and one Welsh Labour MP - whose own husband died at the hospital - is demanding an inquiry and the resignation of the people who run it.

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Stephen Allen, from Cardiff and Vale of Glamorgan Community Health Council says the situation at the University Hospital of Wales is not the same as the scandal-hit Stafford Hospital, where hundreds of patients may have died unnecessarily between 2005 and 2008.

Despite the report from the Royal College of Surgeons saying the hospital is "dangerous", he told our reporter Sarah Hibbard that it is important to assure patients "it is safe to go there and receive your treatment."

The independent watchdog Healthcare Inspectorate Wales says it is "aware of the report" from the Royal College of Surgeons, and has "been in discussion with both Cardiff and Vale University Health Board and the Welsh Government, regarding the concerns raised."

It says it has been provided with a copy of the action plan for improving care, and "will be holding further discussions with the health board to assess progress."

Cynon Valley MP Ann Clwyd has called for an inquiry into the levels of care at the University Hospital of Wales - and for Cardiff and Vale University Health Health Board's chair, chief executive and board members to resign.

She complained about the poor treatment her husband received at the hospital, before he died in October 2012.

She is conducting a review into complaints by hospital patients in England, and told our reporter Sarah Hibbard that the situation at the University Hospital of Wales could be compared to Stafford Hospital, where it is thought hundreds may have died due to poor care between 2005 and 2008.

Adam Cairns, the Chief Executive of Cardiff and Vale University Health Board, which runs the University Hospital of Wales, has told BBC Radio 4's World at One programme that 12 patients have died on the cardiac surgery waiting list over the last 15 months.

The Cardiff and Vale of Glamorgan Community Health Council says it wants to "provide some reassurances to patients who are currently or awaiting surgery within the University Hospital of Wales."

The Royal College of Surgeons sent its report to the health board, Health Inspectorate Wales, and the Welsh Government.

Wales' health minister, Mark Drakeford, was "very concerned" to read the report "and the risks to quality and safety it highlighted."