NHS Wales in dangerous and precarious state - BMA Cymru
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Understaffing has left NHS Wales in precarious state, a union has warned
A chronic staff shortage has left the NHS in Wales in a "dangerous and precarious state", a union has warned.
BMA Cymru, which represents doctors, made the claim after Newyddion S4C saw evidence Cwm Taf Morgannwg health board was using Facebook to ask staff to work extra hours.
One doctors' leader said there weren't even enough pillows in hospitals to have operations.
The Welsh government said it was trying to increase staff across Wales.
The Conservatives said Labour ministers' "inaction" was responsible for the staff shortage.
Cwm Taf Morgannwg health board confirmed it used "staff communication channels" to ask staff about working during busy periods when there were staff shortages.
Member of the Senedd (MS) Heledd Fychan said the health service was "clearly" under strain.
"To think the health board has to plead with staff to go into work to answer the demand, that is extremely concerning," the Plaid member for South Wales Central said.
Senedd Conservative group leader Andrew RT Davies called it "really concerning".
Cwm Taf Morgannwg health board confirmed it used "staff communication channels" to contact staff
"Over 12,000 people are waiting two years or more to get treatment in this health board area," he said.
He added that without the necessary staff waiting lists would continue to grow.
The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) staff census showed there was pressure across Welsh hospitals.
It revealed just 36% of advertised consultant physician posts in Wales were filled in 2021, and that in 71% of unsuccessful appointments, it was because there were no applicants.
It also indicated 44% of current consultant physicians in Wales would reach retirement age within 10 years.
RCP vice president for Wales Dr Olwen Williams said students medically trained in Wales were not staying.
This, she said, was compounded by a lack of workforce plan, meaning "we don't know where the gaps will be".
Dr Olwen Williams, of the Royal College of Physicians, says students medically trained in Wales were not staying
"We're calling on the Welsh government to ensure there is a workforce plan available," she said.
BMA Cymru chairwoman Iona Collins said staff shortages led to delayed surgeries, longer waiting lists and "despair for patients".
'Woefully inadequate'
She said: "We've heard from members who just last week had to cancel procedures due to a lack of surgical staff and ward nurses. Sadly, these cancellations are frequent.
"We have been warning the Welsh government for years that workforce planning has been woefully inadequate, and here we are: health boards making urgent appeals on their social media networks for staff to come in.
"We must see an urgent plan from the Welsh government to tackle the workforce crisis."
BMA Cymru's Iona Collins said staff shortages led to "despair for patients"
Dr Collins told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast: "We're in an absolute mess, we're not delivering the service.
"The evidence is clear because the waiting lists are through the roof. We've got a population of 3 million people - three quarters of a million are waiting for NHS treatment
"It's dire. All of us are in the situation where we need treatment or know someone who does."
Dr Collins said there weren't even enough pillows in hospitals to have operations.
She said: "You can't have an operation without a pillow. If you haven't got enough pillows in a hospital... you can't have an operation.
"You go to your anaesthetic room and when you get there - there isn't a pillow. So there's a delay while people are looking around.
"It means that when you're looking around for things like a pillow you end up having these big consequences as a result.
'Recruitment a priority'
"You might think, buy a pillow for goodness sake, but you've got loads of policies now which stop you from nipping out to buy a pillow. It has to be the correct procedure."
The Welsh government said it recognised the pressure on health boards and that recruitment was a priority.
There has been a 54% increase in staff over the last 20 years, it said, adding that it will continue to recruit more and develop a workforce plan.
A workforce plan was being developed, it said.
"This will include a series of strategic steps in the short and medium terms to get to grips with the current priorities in our workforce," a spokesman said.
"It will also ensure we have a sustainable workforce which is fit for the future."
The Welsh Conservatives said a "cost of pain crisis" had been "fuelled by staff shortages caused by Labour's inaction".
Party health spokesman Russell George said: "For years we've been calling on the Labour government to take decisive action to solve the staffing crisis in the Welsh NHS, but our ideas and solutions have been met with silence from Labour ministers."
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