Staff are being given a whitewashed version of the process with absolutely no information to allow them to provide critical clinical feedback on the project. Velindre are being in no way transparent with their own staff, many of whom totally lack a basic understanding of the realities of this centres proposed service provision as a result.‘ (respondent 6)

Regular readers will know that we’ve been running a survey asking people about their awareness of the New Velindre plans, and what they think of them. The survey is still open, and can be found here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Q6TM7FR

What have we learned so far?

We knew when we started it that the survey was not going to give us statistically accurate results. People answering it are likely to have been interested on the subject (one way or another) already. Also, we don’t know what proportion of people who looked at it chose not to answer. So we’re not going to be saying ‘95% of respondents agreed…’ for example.

We can say, though, that we received many more responses than we’d expected, much more quickly than we’d expected. Not everyone who responded agreed with our views, but the vast majority were polite in the way they disagreed.

Many of the people responding are Health Care Professionals, and many of them currently work, or have worked at Velindre. We’ve no way of identifying any individuals.

Two key themes emerged: concerns for staff and patient safety with the stand-alone model, and the lack of consultation by Velindre with their own Staff and more widely.

We’ve already highlighted some comments on Twitter (@colvelindre) You can find out more about what Health Care Professionals think of the plans below:

  • ‘The Welsh government need to be accountable. There is no such faculty for accountability in the devolved Welsh Senedd. This issue is reflective of a bigger problem in Welsh governance.’ (respondent 2)
  • ‘Staff are being given a whitewashed version of the process with absolutely no information to allow them to provide critical clinical feedback on the project. Velindre are being in no way transparent with their own staff, many of whom totally lack a basic understanding of the realities of this centres proposed service provision as a result’. (respondent 6)
  • ‘I suppose we must follow the money. This plan compromises patient safety and quality of outcome. I wonder if a housing development on the old site will be worth it. ‘ (respondent 10)
  • ‘ I have witnessed particularly in the last few years with the increased acuity of patients, the pressures on ambulance resources, the inexperienced staff within the hospital the consequences of this.’ (respondent 22)
  •  ‘This model has been criticised and is NOT supported by senior hospital doctors from Velindre and all neighbouring health boards as well as GP’s, senior nurses and senior members of all allied health professions because it is not safe. It is NOT the model that we want to be developed as it is completely flawed and it will not provide the care that our patients deserve’. (respondent 32)
  • ‘ I believe a hospital that is either collocated or a cancer hospital that has itu, Hdu, theatres, specialist treatment such as proton beam, immunotherapy, stem cell transplant or high dose chemotherapy and oncology wards is what oncology patients deserve. They do not deserve a day case unit where if they become unwell they need to wait for ambulance to be transferred to UHW. Someone with cancer doesn’t deserve to be on a ward where the nurses don’t understand what their unerlying condition is or have no idea what cancer is so muddle through and do what they think is right.A patient undergoing cancer treatments needs to treated at the same hospital for all treatment, not having to go back and forth to various places’ (respondent 79)
  • ‘Why in this case is ‘Follow the science’ not being adhered to? The decisions by Welsh Government & Cardiff Planning dept are very strange. Not clinical or financial so can only be political.'(respondent 82)
  • ‘Many members of Staff at Velindre are concerned but feel intimidated by this body of management which is far removed from the day to day work with patients. Staff have witnessed colossal wastage of funds and donations over the years. The prospect of more of the same, albeit on a new but totally unsuitable site, even more remote from essential emergency services is a disheartening prospect and fundamentally misguided.’ (respondent 101)
  • ‘I work in Velindre Cancer Centre and believe this project has been driven by TCS (and Higher Management). My view is that it is unpopular amongst the majority of clinical staff. My personal view is that it is driven financially to develop the whole area of the Velindre/Cardiff & Vale/Whitchurch land (i.e. NHS owned land) & thus provide the greatest return on their asset. I am also convinced that plans to develop UHW are not so far away as politicans state. Not incorporating Velindre with a redeveloped UHW is nonsensical clinically’. (respondent 178)