Neurosciences report poses threat to Morriston surgery unit

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Thu 18th Sep 2008

Responding to the publication of the independent review of Adult Neurosciences led by James Steers today, Welsh Liberal Democrat Assembly Member for South Wales West, Peter Black said:

"This report demonstrates the poor condition of neurosciences across South Wales and the huge amount of investment that is needed to bring them up to standard.

"However, it contains mixed messages for Swansea and West Wales. On the one hand the proposal for a managed clinical network is something that has been advocated by Swansea health professionals for some time as a means of keeping neurosurgery at Morriston Hospital.

"On the other hand the recommendation that a single neurosurgery service should be established, co-located with paediatric neurosurgery, and paediatric critical care, together with its emphasis on the new UHW Helicopter pad in recommendation 8(1) indicates that complex and emergency neurosurgery will be moved to Cardiff, leaving Swansea with the few crumbs of a basic service.

"Such a development will be contrary to all the promises of this Labour-Plaid Cymru One Wales Government and represent a downgrading of the excellent trauma centre that has been developed in Morriston Hospital.

"As ever the devil is in the detail and in this case in the work of the Implementation Group under the leadership of Alan Axford. He and the Minister must reassure Swansea that we are not going to end up with an emasculated neurosurgery service as a result of this report."