A round-up of the week's news from the Welsh Government.
£3m funding to improve cancer services at Withybush
Health Secretary, Vaughan Gething, has announced that £3m funding will be provided to modernise haematology, oncology and palliative care services at Withybush Hospital, Haverfordwest. The funding will enable the hospital’s existing Ward 10 to be modernised to improve safety, clinical quality and provide a better environment for patients and staff. The former Ward 9 area will also be developed to serve as a ward area to allow Ward 10 patients to be cared for while the building works are carried out on the existing Ward 10, which will close for refurbishment.
Welsh Government approves £25million for Glangwili obstetric and neonatal facilities
The second phase of the redevelopment of obstetric and neonatal facilities at Glangwili Hospital moved a step closer today as Welsh Government gave the go-ahead for £25million funding for the scheme. The second phase of developments will increase the capacity of the facilities at Glangwili. This will include more high dependency cots, special care cots and parent overnight stay rooms, as well as increase the number of birthing rooms, operating theatres and resuscitation bays. Plans are also in place for an additional 59 car parking spaces.
Wales could lead the way in attracting women into industry, says Eluned Morgan
Wales has the potential to lead from the front when it comes to attracting more women into engineering. That was the message given by Eluned Morgan the Welsh Government Skills Minister at an event at Valero Pembroke Refinery – a global energy company in Pembrokeshire which is pushing the boat out to attract more women into the industry.
Wales’ award winning ‘Best Attraction’ – hits nearly 30,000 visitors for Easter
In the final week of the Easter holidays, the Tourism Minister, Lord-Elis Thomas had an opportunity to see the world-class facilities which have been developed by the Zip World team over the last 5 years. The attractions have generated extensive media coverage and played a part in north Wales’ growing reputation as Adventure capital of Europe. Lord Elis-Thomas met with owner of Zip World – Sean Taylor and saw the three sites in north Wales – Zip World Fforest at Betws y Coed; Zip World Slate Caverns in Blaenau Ffestiniog and Zip World Penrhyn Quarry in Bethesda. The company have also established a Headquarters in Llanrwst and between all sites, employ 350 people at peak times.
New areas to pilot Welsh Government’s free childcare offer
More areas across Wales are set to pilot the Welsh Government’s new ground-breaking childcare offer, Children’s Minister, Huw Irranca-Davies has said. When rolled out across Wales, the offer will provide 30 hours of early education and childcare to working parents of 3 and 4 year olds for 48 weeks of the year. In September 2017, the Welsh Government began piloting the offer in a number of areas in Anglesey, Gwynedd, Caerphilly, Flintshire, Rhondda Cynon Taff and Swansea, and across the whole of Blaenau Gwent. The Minister announced the offer is being extended to cover the whole counties of Anglesey, Gwynedd and Caerphilly from this month, and the whole of Rhondda Cynon Taff from at the start of September 2018.
Brexit trade deal must not damage Welsh ports - Ken Skates
Goods and people must be able to move freely through Welsh ports after Brexit so not to damage the Welsh economy, Economy Secretary Ken Skates has warned. The latest figures show Welsh port share of overall UK freight traffic was 53.6 million tonnes, around 11% of the UK total. 524,000 lorries and trailers travelling to and from the Republic of Ireland passed through Welsh ports in 2016, with the vast majority passing through the Port of Holyhead. The Welsh Government wants any Brexit deal between the UK and the EU not to disrupt this trade and include full access to the European Single Market and membership of a customs union to protect the Welsh economy.
Record number of organ donors in Wales
There were 74 deceased organ donors from Welsh hospitals during 2017/18, the highest ever number of donors in Wales, the latest figures show. The Health Secretary, Vaughan Gething welcomed the news, saying: “The organ donation figures are definitely moving in right direction but we do need to have several more years’ data to draw firmer conclusions around the impact of the change in the law.”
Residential care savings limit increases in Wales
From today, people in Wales are able to keep up to £40,000 of their money before they need to self-fund the full cost of their residential care, the Welsh Government has confirmed. A capital limit determines whether a person pays for the full cost of their residential care, or whether they receive financial support towards the cost from their local authority.The Welsh Government’s Programme for Government commits Ministers to increasing this capital limit used by local authorities who charge for residential care from £24,000 to £50,000 during the current Assembly term’
For more Welsh Government news visit: http://gov.wales/newsroom/