Written question WQ96832
- Asked by
- Russell GeorgeIndependent
- To be answered by
- Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care
- Tabled
- Due
- Answered
- Time to answer
- 2 days
Question
What assessment has the Welsh Government made of travel times for patients being transferred from Bronglais District General Hospital requiring radiotherapy treatment at Singleton Hospital in Swansea, and how does this compare with other patient journeys across the UK and Wales?
Answer
Answered by Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care
Health boards are responsible for commissioning services on behalf of their populations. Swansea Bay University Health Board and Hywel Dda University Health Board work together to plan the regional provision of radiotherapy services.
Due the nature of the equipment, facilities, and the specialist workforce involved there are advantages to concentrating linear accelerators and brachytherapy services in regional sites. Some more specialised radiotherapy services, such as proton beam therapy and certain molecular radiotherapy techniques, are concentrated at a smaller number of sites across the UK.