Glan Clwyd Hospital will be specialist vascular centre

Health chiefs in north Wales have confirmed plans to site a specialist vascular unit at Glan Clwyd Hospital in Denbighshire.

The decision comes as some clinicians warned it could put patients at risk.

The unit would carry out complex vascular surgery for potentially life-threatening conditions like abdominal aortic aneurysms.

However, Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board said this only represented about 20% of its vascular treatments.

The health board insisted the majority of its vascular services would still be carried out at the other hospital sites across north Wales, including Ysbyty Gwynedd in Bangor and Wrexham Maelor Hospital.

"Currently, around 300 complex vascular surgery operations are carried out each year in North Wales - representing about 20% of our vascular activity - and we are committed to continuing the majority of our work at Ysbyty Gwynedd, Ysbyty Glan Clwyd and Wrexham Maelor Hospital," said Dr Evan Moore, the board's executive medical director.

"Units such as these - which provide a hub for major vascular arterial operations - are being created across the UK, and there is strong evidence that such sites improve clinical outcomes and patient safety, whilst attracting the best staff and help to develop the best infrastructure."

Threats to services

Vascular medicine covers a wide range of medical procedures and interventions, from screening for risks of aneurysms - where weakened walls of major blood vessels could burst - to treating varicose veins, stroke prevention and helping ensure dialysis patients can continue their treatment.

But speaking ahead of the announcement, one consultant physician at Ysbyty Gwynedd raised concerns.

"This is an integrated service, and other aspects of what we do here would be threatened - radiology, urology and gastroenterology to name just a few," Dr Mahdi Jibani told BBC Wales.

Ken Jones of the North Wales Kidney Association added: "If this service goes, it will cost lives, there's no two ways about it."

Arfon assembly member Sian Gwenllian said it represented "yet another example of services creeping eastwards".

Protecting patients

But Dr Moore argued that far from hitting services at other hospitals in the region, vascular services would benefit from a specialised hub.

"Hubs such as the one we have planned, built on the considerable knowledge, skills and practices already here, would protect connected services at these locations.

"These include outpatient consultations, investigations, diagnostic procedures, varicose vein and day case surgeries. It will also ensure strong support for other services such as accident and emergency, urology surgery and renal therapy."