Wrexham Maelor: Unhappiest consultants ever at hospital

A busy emergency unit at Wrexham Maelor hospital

Some of the "unhappiest consultants ever" were found at a Welsh hospital, a report says.

It focuses on Wrexham Maelor and documents a "perfect storm of a collapsing estate, ineffectual or non-existent IT, and staff shortages".

Written by the Royal College of Physicians (RCP), it describes a long-term "lack of investment" in key areas.

The Betsi Cadwaladr health board said the findings are "concerning" and that they will be taken seriously.

This follows another RCP report released this week focusing on the Aneurin Bevan Health Board, saying doctors were "scared to come to work" and staff faced "frightening experiences".

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In a foreword, RCP president Dr Andrew Goddard said he had visited almost 100 hospitals during his time at the college, and "our virtual visit to Wrexham in May 2021 introduced me to the unhappiest group of consultants I've ever spoken to in my career, bar one other case".

Despite the issues with a lack of investment, he said the junior doctors had a good teaching experience and a high opinion of their consultants.

A very heavy workload

Wrexham Maelor is an 800-bed hospital for people in north east Wales

Dr Goddard also said a medical school in north Wales would help recruitment and this needs to be "pushed very, very hard".

Dr Olwen Williams, RCP vice president for Wales said trainees "would recommend working in Wrexham and feel supported by their consultants, but they have a very heavy workload, and often find themselves doing work that could be done by another professional".

She said a failure to make improvements would lead to people choosing to "work at more modern hospitals, where they feel heard and valued".

Only goodwill is keeping some staff going, the report says

Dr Williams said consultants felt "excluded, ignored and frustrated, and sheer goodwill is keeping them going".

"This goodwill will run out sooner or later," she added.

The report made a number of recommendations, including that the health board meets with the consultant body at the Maelor and "listens to their concerns".

In response, executive medical director at the Betsi Cadwaladr health board Dr Nick Lyons said: "The issues raised in this report are concerning to me as the health board's new medical director and I take them very seriously.

'Huge pressures on NHS staff'

"Covid-19 has affected everyone working in the health service, and we need to ensure that colleagues are supported to do their jobs to the best of their ability.

"I really do recognise the stress, pressure and workload our clinicians are grappling with."

He said there is "a good foundation on which to build" including "the good teaching experience of junior doctors and some of the innovation that has taken place during the pandemic".

The Welsh government said the health board has taken the report "extremely seriously" and drawn up action plans to address the recommendations.

"We recognise the huge pressures NHS staff have been under for a sustained period of time and it is vital any concerns over their wellbeing and morale are addressed," a spokesman said.

Conservative health spokesman Russell George said the report highlights an historical lack of investment, and Labour ministers "can't use the pandemic as a cover for this disaster".

"Two decades of mismanagement, cuts to services and centralisation agendas have left our NHS in crisis, putting even more pressure on hardworking NHS staff and those who rely on them," he added.

"Labour ministers must take responsibility and act accordingly."

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