NEVILL Hall Hospital is in for another significant change with wards set for closure or reconfiguration in a shock decision by Aneurin Health Board, a move which has left staff morale at an all time low according to insiders.

A member of staff with over 30 years of experience says the changes will be taking place next month and are causing concern among staff and potentially impacting patient care. 

One of the biggest shifts involves Ward 4/4, also known as Llanellen Ward, which currently houses respiratory services. The source confirmed that these services will be moving to the Grange University Hospital, leaving no facility for respiratory patients at Nevill Hall.  

This move is expected to add to the pressures on The Grange, which has been under fire for waiting times and bed shortages since it opened. “We have many patients being transferred to us from The Grange because they just can’t cope,” shared the anonymous employee “it is also going to cause a great deal of upheaval for the patients, many of whom have built a relationship with the Nurses on the ward.” 

The latest move is said to have created a dark cloud over Nevill Hall, with morale described as “extremely low”, as nurses were informed of the ward closure just a couple of weeks ago. 

“The frustrating part is that this has probably been in the pipeline for years,” the employee stated “and yet, we are only finding all of this out weeks ahead, just as Christmas is around the corner.  

“Some have been told that they have to go through online applications to see where they can fit in. Some of these fully qualified nurses who have worked on Ward 4/4 for more than twenty years.  

The anonymous staff member added, "I've worked with this team for years, and they are dedicated, but it's tough for both staff and patients. The upheaval is likely to cause distress for patients who are used to the current structure, as well as for staff who are uncertain about their roles in the new system.”

A spokesman for ABUHB said,”In our ongoing work to review our services and ensure that we are providing the best possible care, we have identified some opportunities to implement changes at Nevill Hall Hospital that we believe will improve services and outcomes for patients.  As part of this, we have taken the opportunity to reconfigure our medical staff to further support our Respiratory team at The Grange University Hospital.

 “Although the respiratory team will vacate Ward 4/4, this ward will be reconfigured and remain open to ensure that the sleep service and labs continue to be operational to support our patients, and Ward 4/3 will close. 

Overall, this will take us back to expected bed numbers for Nevill Hall Hospital and means that the staff we have can care more appropriately for patients.

 “We are planning for these changes to take place from mid-November so that our services can help to ease winter pressures and offer the best possible care for patients across the Health Board area.

As with any service change, there will be an impact on staff, which is currently being addressed. Staff have been assured that they will not have to relocate from Nevill Hall unless they choose to do so, with a number of opportunities for them to remain working at Nevill Hall or to relocate to one of our other Health Board sites. However, we acknowledge that any change is difficult and upsetting and the health board is working closely with the staff affected to ensure they are supported through this process, including conducting executive engagement sessions, informal meetings and dedicated one to ones with staff.

“The overall reduction in the number of beds at Nevill Hall Hospital is just 15 which takes us back to the planned bed base for Nevill Hall, as we are currently running more beds than planned. 

“We are expecting the impact on patients to be minimal, as they will remain within the area that is appropriate to their clinical need. No patients will be transferred to The Grange University Hospital as a result of this change. Each of our wards continue to have more beds than in our plan to ensure we provide the best care for our patients.

“The future plans for Nevill Hall Hospital continue to be aligned with our Clinical Futures plan. Nevill Hall continues to be an extremely important Enhanced Local General Hospital, which provides care closer to home for appropriate patients.”