Health Minister Eluned Morgan has warned the health and social care system in Wales is currently under ‘extraordinary pressure’ as a result of a range of factors.

It comes after the Aneurin Bevan University health board declared a business continuity incident, also known as a Black alert, in light of exceptional pressures it is facing at its Grange University Hospital - the main hospital for Monmouthshire residents - and other sites.

This is the highest level of escalation available and clearly indicates the severe pressure being experienced by the health and care services

In an effort to manage the situation in the Aneurin Bevan University Health Board area, where The Grange University Hospital is based, all non-essential activities have been cancelled, with clinical and non-clinical senior colleagues re-prioritising their workload accordingly to manage the position across the Gwent region.

In a statement issued last week the minister stressed hospital sites across Wales are currently under extraordinary pressure and this has impacted on timely delivery of care.

This has resulted, at times, in lengthy ambulance patient handover delays, limits on ambulance capacity, increased waits for admission from emergency departments to a hospital bed and longer waits for discharge home once treatment has completed.

Significant challenges caused by Covid outbreaks within hospitals limiting available bed capacity, high levels of Covid in the community, staff sickness absence and blockages in patient flow through hospitals leading to difficulties discharging patients have put the sector under strain.

These issues, which NHS Wales and social care staff are working tirelessly to manage, have been exacerbated by a recent increase in levels of demand.

People in Wales are being urged to ‘help us, help you’ by accessing the NHS 111 Wales website and its symptom checkers, helping to ensure they access the right care in the right place first time.

This will help reduce avoidable delays to care, and support more acutely ill people to be treated in the most appropriate way.

The Welsh Government has invested an extra £42m funding for social care, some of which will be used to help increase community capacity and support people to return to their local communities from hospital when ready, and an additional £25m in urgent and emergency care; on top of £248m already announced for the NHS Covid recovery fund.

Measures have already been taken across all health board areas to relieve pressure to ensure patients can continue to receive the care and treatment they need in a safe and timely manner.

Health Minister Eluned Morgan said: “The health and social care system in Wales is currently under extraordinary pressure and we would strongly urge anyone seeking care to make sure they access the right care in the right place, whether that’s through ‘help us, help you’, access to the NHS Wales 111 website or urgent and emergency care.

“We have been open about the challenges that NHS Wales, and 999 and Emergency Departments in particular are under. This is not a unique situation in Wales; health services across the UK are facing similar challenges.

“Our priority is to ensure the safe and efficient delivery of healthcare services and anyone with a serious or urgent need for hospital treatment and those who have ‘a life-threatening illness or serious injury’ should still attend the emergency department.

“Those who have a less urgent need or could access the treatment they need at an alternative setting can help reduce pressure by choosing the right service for their needs.

“The public can also help by supporting the timely discharge of their family members when they are ready to leave hospital.

‘‘If you have a relative or loved one in hospital who is well enough to go home, but is waiting to be discharged with home care and community health support, you may be able to help them to get home more quickly if you and your family are in a position to support them at home.”

Responding to the news that Aneurin Bevan University Health Board has declared a ‘black alert’, the Welsh Liberal Democrats have stated the Welsh Government must make getting to grips with the crisis in Welsh healthcare its top priority.

Commenting Welsh Liberal Democrat Leader Jane Dodds MS said: “This news is extremely concerning, black alerts are always serious but this has happened on a weekday night, typically a time of lower demand.

“Our NHS staff are working their absolute hardest to provide the care people deserve, but the Welsh Labour Government has so far failed to get to grips with this crisis.

“We know Covid has added sustained pressure to the healthcare system in recent years, not least with large backlogs but A&E services have been struggling for the best part of a decade.

“Labour must make reforming and fixing A&E services their absolute priority and of course, improve health care services at a local level which would go a long way in preventing these sort of crisis points we see in A&E departments.”