Latest news with #CardiffandValeUniversityHealthBoard
Wales Online
6 days ago
- Health
- Wales Online
I could smell burnt toast but it was the symptom of something very serious
I could smell burnt toast but it was the symptom of something very serious Gareth Evans would regularly show up to his work while being depressed and upset, and though he knew something wasn't right, he could not pin point the cause Gareth Evans, 57, thinks he had lived at least 10 years with the disease before it was diagnosed (Image: Gareth Evans ) WHEN Gareth Evans hit his mid 40s, smelling burnt toast that wasn't there and crying at work for no apparent reason were just two of the signs of a deeper health issue. Keen rugby player Gareth, who worked as a carpenter at the Cardiff and Vale University Health Board, was active and happy in his work and personal life. But the usually cheerful and motivated worker suddenly found himself showing up to his job feeling sad, or randomly crying at work. He would also feel his arm twitch, or smell the aroma of burnt toast. Nothing made any sense but, as doctors soon found out, he had been living with a disease that has no cure: Parkinson's. The depression was one of the first symptoms Gareth noticed but, without a diagnosis, he had been at a loss. 'Depression… it comes with Parkinson's,' he explained. 'I didn't understand it. I'd go into work and I'd feel very sad and I would cry. Article continues below "I would come home and I'd cry in the shower, but I was very good at hiding it, didn't talk about it, and didn't get any help and that just got worse and worse. "I just knew there was something wrong. I just didn't know what." Gareth with his wife Louise who is his motivation on difficult days (Image: Gareth Evans ) It was only when the physical symptoms started that Gareth asked for help. The 57-year-old said: "I worked for 34 years for the health service. So I was actually at work and I looked down onto my left arm, and I could see the muscle just on the forearm… it was twitching, twitching a lot. "I couldn't control it, couldn't stop it and I had this for a while, you know, for a couple of days. "So actually, I went to see a friend of mine who worked in the hospital and I asked her advice and she told me I needed to get it sorted." Gareth finally went to his GP and was referred to a consultant at the University Hospital of Wales. He was given his diagnosis on September 21, 2018, after which he says he 'cried like a baby'. While he now has an answer for his previous symptoms, the diagnosis and the condition itself have understandably had a huge impact on his life. "First of all, the depression just wasn't me, because I've always enjoyed life to the full,' he said. "The depression knocked me for a six, more so than the actual Parkinson's, to be honest. "But it affects me now, like 10 years on if you want to go from the diagnosis date. I can't walk properly. If I don't take my tablets, I get these terrible cramps. "I was walking the dog one day and I forgot to take my tablet and I was stuck in the field for 40 minutes. I just couldn't move. "It was tipping down with rain and all my muscles had seized up. "I had a terrible cramp and it was very, very painful. This sort of thing happens quite a lot. It affects your internal organs as well. "It affects you bladder. So you're constantly back and forth to the toilet. "You think you need a wee, but then you don't, and then you do, and that affects you there. An unfinished painting by Gareth of his wife and him together (Image: Gareth Evans ) "But I must admit, I don't really let it get to me too much now. I'm in control of it." Nearly 8,300 people in Wales are currently living with Parkinson's. The progressive neurological condition caused by a lack of dopamine in the brain. The disease causes both motor symptoms such as tremor, stiffness, and slowness of movement, as well as less commonly recognised non-motor symptoms including sleep disturbances, memory issues, and constipation among others. It can also sometimes lead to phantosmia – where patients perceive smells, such as burnt toast, that aren't actually there. In recent years, Parkinson's has come to renewed public attention as a result of Michael J Fox's campaigning on the issue. The Back to the Future star has been open about his experience with the condition, and has won awards for his advocacy for a cure for the disease. For Gareth, once he had fully taken in the advice from experts and come to terms with the diagnosis, he felt he could move on and get back to work. But while Gareth's return was accommodated well by his employers, in light of his diagnosis he soon had to retire upon his doctor's advice. Recalling how he dealt with his retirement, he said: 'The first few months, I just sat in the window, looking out at the rain, beating down onto the patio, and I'm thinking, 'Is this it? Is this what retirement is about?' "Like I said, I'm a very headstrong person, and I've been involved in team sports all my life, mostly rugby. So you know when you're down, and you know you can do something about it. "So, I decided to... enjoy as much as possible and get out and about if I can. Look after my grandchildren and my wife. 'It was a case of, 'it's not going to get better. So I've got to live with it and work with it'.' It wasn't long before he found solace in his retirement, and found surprising new ways of coping. "I started painting, believe it or not,' he said. 'Another symptom I've got with Parkinson's is insomnia. I don't sleep very well. So I get up at night and I paint, painting by numbers. "I find that quite relaxing. Now that you might think is strange because I've got a tremor. "I tremor most of the time. "So when I actually paint, because your brain tells you to concentrate and you literally go in and you paint, the painting by number is a very fine painting. You don't tremor because you use your brain.' One of his favourite creations is a painting of his wife's grandfather, a World War two veteran. He explained: 'I've got a painting on my wall in my kitchen and it's my wife's grandfather. He was just a couple of days short of 102 before he passed and I painted him and he's sitting in an armchair with his World War two medals across his chest.' Gareth also now helps other people diagnosed with Parkinson's to come to terms with their diagnosis. He explained: 'Funny enough, I actually do talk to people who are recently diagnosed and need help. "They'll come over to my house or they'll phone me. We tend to stick together, belong to a Facebook page for Parkinson's. "We all stick together and we help each other out… talking's the best thing." Newly diagnosed patients often went through similar emotions, he added. "The biggest thing is fear, knowing it's not going to get better, it's going to get worse, and there is no cure. "The tablets I take actually work for me but, believe it or not, they've been out since the '60s annd '70s with all these tablets, they'd been around for years and years, and [doctors working in the field of] Parkinson's are trying to find a cure. "I'm hoping come September to actually go on a trial with my consultant. "I've asked to put my name forward and become a guinea pig, so to speak. Because you've just got to try something, you've just got to give it a go." Gareth has thrown his weight behind fundraising, raising significant funds for Parkinson's charities through quizzes, marathons, and rugby matches. Earlier this month – on May 4 – Gareth raised £8,000 when he underwent a sponsored head shave and wax at the Maltsters Arms pub in Whitchurch, Cardiff. Gareth at the head shave and wax event with his son (Image: Gareth Evans ) He said: 'I'll always help, no matter what charity, and if I am able to do anything, I'll do it. "This last one, this one we've done, all I had to do was sit down and have my hair cut. It was the easiest £8,000 I've ever been involved in making! "I've done charity rugby games as well because, when I was first diagnosed, I wanted to raise some money for Parkinson's, so I organised a rugby game. All the people I've been involved with over the years, coaching, playing with, playing against, they all turned up for me. We raised £1,680 that day. That was just one day. "Another time in work, when I used to work, I used to have a 'fat club', we used to call it the 'Big Boy's Belly Fat Club' and the boys used to pay a pound a week and I would have my scales in work and I'd weigh them and I'd write their weight down on the board to encourage them for next week to come in lighter. "This went on for a couple of years and a lot of people got to know about it. Again, we raised money and it was all sent over to Parkinson's.' This Friday, Gareth is organising an auction in aid of Parkinson's charity, where shirts donated by Wales rugby stars Rhys Patchell and Ben Thomas will go under the hammer. Meanwhile, Gareth wishes people were more aware of Parkinson's and how to approach people with the disease. Gareth before his head shave (Image: Gareth Evans ) Gareth with his head shaved after a charity fundraiser for Parkinson's (Image: Gareth Evans ) He recalled: '(At) Christmas time, I went to watch Cardiff rugby play. I wasn't feeling well. "I couldn't explain why I was feeling like it, but I wasn't very well and I decided to leave the rugby halftime. "My wife was picking me up in town because of my condition. "I became so bad quickly and I didn't know what it was. I had a chest infection as well. "I approached a man in Queen Street and I asked him for help because I was walking with cramps and I was stiff. "I wasn't drunk by any means but this guy thought I was drunk, and I asked him for his help. He gave me the F-word, told me to go away. "It made me cross, because that was the first time that had ever happened. "So I just want people, you know, who haven't got Parkinson's, to just realise when you look at somebody and they're a little bit different to normal, just think to yourself it could be something medical. "It could be something causing that problem. "Give them a chance, there's always a story behind everybody.' In the meantime, Gareth says he's had amazing support from his family. He said: 'My wife, she keeps me motivated. My family, my children, my grandchildren. 'I'm a very lucky man. I've got a fantastic family and I've got a fantastic circle of friends and colleagues. I've been fortunate enough to be recognised in work and I actually went to meet the royal family at a garden party a couple of years ago. ' Gareth added: 'I've got three granddaughters and they're brilliant, six, four, three, and 18 months — nearly two. And my wife looks after them on a Tuesday, they come here to our house every Tuesday and I sit there and I just watch them and it makes me happy because I live through them. 'You look at your children and you... You see them doing well, and you just think to yourself, 'I've done something right in life, having a good family'. That's my unit, what I call my unit. My children.' Article continues below :: To find out more about Parkinson's, visit
Daily Mirror
07-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Mirror
Hospital staff 'left operating theatres during surgery to watch Netflix'
The report revealed an 'atmosphere of fear' in the hospital's surgical department - after staff were caught leaving operating theatres to watch Netflix and pigeons were spotted in the corridors Hospital chiefs have apologised after staff were caught leaving operating theatres mid-surgery to watch Netflix, a damning report revealed. Safety fears were raised at the University Hospital of Wales during an internal investigation of its surgical department. According to the report, anaesthetic practitioners were not always present in theatre during their patients' operations, and were instead spending time in the anaesthetic room watching Netflix on their phones. The hospital's cleanliness had also fallen below expected standards after pigeons were seen in trauma theatres and theatre corridors. Health board chiefs have now apologised and are conducting a separate review into allegations that staff allowed members of the public to watch surgery. The report, by Cardiff and Vale University Health Board, also found that staff felt belittled and criminal behaviour - including theft and illegal drugs found in a staff locker - went unchallenged. Surgery staff said they often worked through their breaks so needed to take food and drink into the anaesthetic room. Poor infection control was also laid bare as staff were found to not be wearing masks properly, did not have bare arms below the elbow and were wearing jewellery or nail varnish. One person was also found to be still working at the health board after being caught with drugs - with no charges brought by police. An anonymous complaint of racism was made to management and the person accused was suspended but no further action was taken as there was insufficient evidence. The health board said the reluctance of staff to speak up made complaints difficult to address. In a joint statement, the health board's Suzanne Rankin and Paul Bostock said the report was "very disappointing and concerning." They said: "The service review was completed on Tuesday, 29 April 2025 and involved over a third of theatres staff sharing their views and experiences. It uncovered a number of concerning themes, ranging from failures of leadership practice, variable compliance with policies and procedures and poor culture, all of which impact upon behaviours and psychological safety of colleagues. "In relation to patient safety, the main areas of concern relate to compliance with the World Health Organisation surgical safety checklist and the process for obtaining patient consent. As a Health Board, we have already taken mitigating actions and improvements have been implemented." They added: "The health board will now consider the findings, recommended actions and implications of the service review as it develops a management response and a detailed action plan to make urgent improvements and address quality and safety issues. "Colleagues directly involved in theatres will receive a copy of the report and will be supported by a series of face-to-face briefings with the chief operating officer and other senior colleagues. We are very sorry for the distress and concern this will cause, and we want to reassure the public that we will take the necessary steps to address the concerns raised." There are 12 operating theatres at the hospital which carry out 10,700 operations each year including 7,000 emergency cases.
Wales Online
02-05-2025
- Health
- Wales Online
'Shock and disappointment' as Welsh health board pulls funding from mental health service
'Shock and disappointment' as Welsh health board pulls funding from mental health service Cardiff and Vale University Health Board's decision to stop funding Cardiff and Vale Action for Mental Health will lead to its closure in September 2025 Cardiff and Vale University Health Board has pulled funding from Cardiff and Vale Action for Mental Health (Image: Adam Gerrard / Daily Mirror ) A Welsh health board's decision to stop funding a mental health service has been called an "absolute shocker" by the head of a voluntary sector organisation. Cardiff and Vale University Health Board's (UHB) decision to stop funding Cardiff and Vale Action for Mental Health (CAVAMH) from April 1, 2025, will lead to the service's closure. The chief executive officer of Glamorgan Voluntary Services (GVS), Rachel Connor, said the end of CAVAMH will be a "great loss" and said their director still hasn't had a proper explanation as to why funding is being removed. Services offered by CAVAMH include providing information, training and development support to other third sector mental health groups in the area. For our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation, sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here . The Director of CAVAMH said at a Vale of Glamorgan Council voluntary sector joint liaison committee meeting on Tuesday, April 29: "We are a bit worried about the impact it'll have... in terms of a lack of resource and we know it is a really stressful time at the moment for organisations and people with lived experience. "The numbers of people with mental health lived experience are growing at the moment." Cardiff and Vale UHB said it went through a scrutiny process when reviewing its decision on CAVAMH and that as part of this, conversations took place with commissioned providers for feedback and attendance and engagement levels. Article continues below A spokesperson for the health board added that it also "reviewed whether this supported the direction of travel in networking responsibilities to take consultation to a wider audience and align co-production under the new Mental Health Strategy". The Welsh Government recently announced changes for mental health services on April 30, including plans that willl mean people won't need a referral before going to open access services. The 10-year strategy will be focussed on early intervention and prevention and includes plans for people to get community-based non-clinical support through a social prescribing process. Ms Connor of GVS said at Tuesday's voluntary sector joint liaison committee meeting: "To say that I was gobsmacked is an understatement when I heard that the health board were withdrawing funding to CAVAMH. "It's an absolute shocker. We sit around the table with the health board, local authorities on the regional partnership board and there was very little indication that anything like this was going to be taking place. "In fact, I don't believe that Linda [Newton] has had a full and proper explanation as to why the funding is being withdrawn apart from understandable constraints with regard to reduction in funding and challenges with funding, but it is going to be very... difficult for all of us as partners, whether we are third sector organisations or statutory partners, to actually engage as effectively with people who have lived experience of mental health. "That is going to be a big loss for all of us and I am not quite sure how that will be managed moving forward." Ms Newton said CAVAMH, which will be able to continue running until September 2025 as things stand, is doing what it can to make sure people are signposted to alternative areas of support. However, concern remains about the gap that will be left after it closes. A spokesperson for Cardiff and Vale UHB said: 'Funding for Cardiff and Vale Action for Mental Health (CAVAMH) from Cardiff and Vale University Health Board reached the end of a three year contractual period on 31st March 2025. 'As part of our scrutiny process when reviewing the decision of whether to renew the contract, a number of conversations took place with commissioned providers for feedback and attendance and engagement levels. "We also reviewed whether this supported the direction of travel in networking responsibilities to take consultation to a wider audience and align co-production under the new Mental Health Strategy. 'Conversations are taking place with other providers with networking capabilities to support with third sector involvement to implement change. 'There are a number of ways those across Cardiff and the Vale can access mental health support, including additional NHS Wales services and mental health support organisations and charities. "Those in need of urgent mental health support can get advice and guidance via the NHS Wales call 111 and press 2 service.' Article continues below
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Probe into claims people allowed in to watch hospital surgeries
An investigation has been launched into allegations that unauthorised people were allowed to watch procedures being carried out in hospital operating theatres. Cardiff and Vale University Health Board said it was undertaking an internal review following the "deeply concerning" allegations. An internal staff survey found that previous concerns regarding unauthorised people in theatres had been raised but not thoroughly investigated, the health board said. "We want to reassure patients and their families that we are committed to providing safe and high-quality care, and patient safety and confidentiality is always of utmost importance to us," it said in a statement. It is not clear how the individuals gained access to the operating theatres or who gave them permission to watch surgeons at work. BBC Wales asked the health board to clarify whether the unauthorised people were friends and families of staff, but it said it was "unable to go into any further detail" and pointed out that the investigations was an "internal and confidential". Woman's abortion delayed partly due to NHS 'annual leave' I planned my funeral but new surgery means I'm cancer-free My eye-opening day at overrun A&E department The health board stressed that theatre procedures are highly sterile and members of the public are not routinely allowed to watch procedures take place. "There are occasions when members of the public have viewed operations, instances include filming for 'Saving Lives in Cardiff' and for media packages, however these are subject to strict policies and protocols that are adhered to at all times, especially in relation to patient consent," it said. The review was expected to take 12-16 weeks but is taking "slightly longer", the health board said, due to the "significant contribution of colleagues".
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
'Annual leave led to delays in woman's abortion' as judge criticises health board
A judge has criticised a health board that said annual leave was partly to blame for delays that left a vulnerable patient with two days to have an abortion before the legal cut-off point. The mum of the woman, who has been sectioned a number of times, told a court she was "traumatised" by the "barbaric" treatment of her daughter as she watched her continue her pregnancy into the second trimester. The Court of Protection judgment found the "unreasonable delay" by Cardiff and Vale University Health Board had a "serious negative impact" on the woman, who is in her 30s. The health board has accepted there had been a delay. Warning: This story contains details which some readers might find upsetting How do the UK's abortion laws compare? Women treated differently due to ethnicity A&E patients' dignity compromised daily The woman had two days before it would not have been legally possible to have a medical abortion, which can be carried out up to 24 weeks gestation. "This should've happened weeks and weeks ago and never been allowed to get to the stage where she is in the second trimester," her mother told the Royal Courts of Justice. The patient, who has a history of substance abuse and has been detained under the Mental Health Act a number of times, was around eight weeks pregnant in June 2024. The court in London heard the woman – who cannot be identified for legal reasons - was confused about basic details about her pregnancy and at one point did not believe she was still pregnant, despite having accepted a positive result. Although she initially said she wanted an abortion, the patient constantly changed her mind about it. The woman's mother told the court that her daughter's understanding was "sometimes good and sometimes bad". But the patient told her mum she wanted to "get rid of the baby and have a tablet". The mother told the Official Solicitor - someone that acts for people who are vulnerable because of their lack of mental capacity in some courts - that her daughter might think there was a "magic pill" that would "make it all go away". Because of this, the health board asked for a "treatment plan" authorised by the Court of Protection, a court that makes decision on behalf people who lack the capacity to do so for themselves. The health board said the treatment plan would make sure the woman remained safe throughout the termination - if she decided to proceed - and her life was not put at risk. This would include a deprivation of her liberty - giving medical experts the power to restrain or sedate her if they felt it was needed. From 2 August last year, her wish to have a termination remained consistent and proceeds were issued by the health board two weeks later on 16 August. On 12 September, Judge Butler-Cole KC found the woman lacked capacity to make decisions regarding termination of her pregnancy and authorised Cardiff and Vale Health Board's suggested treatment plan. The patient went ahead with a medical abortion immediately after the plan was agreed. The deprivation of liberty proposed in the plan wasn't needed in the end and clinicians say the woman is doing well. But the health board, which describes itself as one of the largest NHS organisations in Europe, was criticised by Judge Butler-Cole. "The health board explains that there were staff absences due to annual leave over the summer break which explain the delay in issuing the application," Judge Butler-Cole said. "In the circumstances of this case, where every day that passed meant that the options for her narrowed, and she herself had to continue with a pregnancy she had decided she did not want, four weeks was simply too long. "In my judgement, an application should have been prioritised and made at the very latest by 26 July 2024. "If it had been, a decision would likely have been made by the court by mid-August, rather than mid-September. "While that may not have made any difference to the type of termination she had, it would have saved her a month of waiting and wondering why her expressed wishes were not being acted on as her pregnancy progressed. "It would have meant that the procedure she underwent had lower risks of physical or mental harm." The judge considered it appropriate to reflect the court's "disapproval of the health board's conduct in the case, it's impact on the woman and her family". Acknowledging the psychological and physical burden on the patient and her family, the judge made an order the health board paid most of the legal fees. Cardiff and Vale health board said it cannot comment on details of an individual patient's care. But a spokesperson added: "As a health board we endeavour to manage any case of this nature and complexity very carefully via our mental health and gynaecological teams." If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this story you can visit BBC Action Line.
