Care fear quiz (From Penarth Times)

Care fear quiz

PENARTH parents are being consulted on the future of specialised health care for their children following scandals such as Alder Hey's organ retention case.

The Bro Taf Health Authority is quizzing people on future health care for youngsters with rare and complex conditions as a result of worrying inquiries into heart surgery at Bristol, abuse in North Wales and the organ retention at Alder Hey.

The three month consultation, which is being led by Dyfed Powys Health Authority, will help with ensuring specialised services for children are safe, effective and viable in the future.

Already the National Assembly has provided an additional £1 million to health care to help stabilise services.

A consultation document, which is currently being distributed, proposes that children and young people should be cared for within designated services only and that specific specialised services are reorganised and strengthened.

The population of South Wales at two million is too small to provide the full range of specialised children's services in the long term.

As a result, it is proposed that South Wales continues to provide some first class specialised services, but some should be reorganised, strengthened and provided in partnership with Bristol Children's Hospital.

Even so, a significant number of children from Wales will continue to rely on specialised services provided in England including at Great Ormond Street and Birmingham Children's Hospital.

The consultation started on July 1 and ends on September 30.

Views should be sent to Bro Taf or to the Vale of Glamorgan Community Health Council no later than September 30. Responses will then be forwarded to Dyfed Powys Health Authority for consideration.

Consultation documents are available in libraries or by contacting Bro Taf on 2040 2402.