A NURSE has made a passionate plea to the Welsh Government and local health board, calling on them to change the way the health sector is run to help keep Welsh people 'out of the dark ages'.

A local nurse, who wished to remain anonymous, has shared a letter with the Leader that they have written and sent to the the Welsh Minister for Health and Social Care, Mark Drakeford MS, asking to review funding frameworks for Wales.

Jeremy Miles MS was made Secretary for Health and Social Care when First Minister Eluned Morgan announced her new cabinet this week.

The nurse said: "I am writing this letter to hopefully provide a solution to the Community Care crisis in Wales and to give the Welsh people a voice over their future care.

"I am the Clinical Director and CQC Registered Manager of a 300-employee complex health and social care service covering the whole of England, and being Welsh I would like to bring our service to all of Wales.

"It is no secret that here in Wales we are so far behind in the way we are willing to fund care compared to England. The care here in Wales is so restrictive and controlling that in no way does it take into account or look after the wellbeing of those that need care.

"Welsh healthcare is no longer person-centred and is target driven, because of this more and more health professionals are leaving the industry with their main reason being they are unable to care anymore."

The nurse added: "I was appalled last week when a close family friend was receiving end of life care at home, that we contacted the district nurse to support her, her words were ‘do you really need me to come out or are you just panicking? Because I am covering Wrexham and Flintshire and have no capacity for extra calls’.

"This is by no means the fault of the nurse as she was obviously understaffed and over stretched but someone was taking their last breaths in pain. Where is the care? Where is the support for the family?.

TOP STORIES TODAY

The letter-sender has worked as a registered nurse for over a decade.

They trained in Wales and live there too, but say they have decided to work in England as they are 'actually allowed to care for patients there'.

They added: "Where NHS funding can be used to pay for care of any level in the community, where PHBS and joint funding are available. Out of the 80 clients that we have across England, we currently cover 9,000 hours of care a week, for people who require 24/7 nursing care within the community.

"We are nurse led and everyone of our packages have nurse oversight. Yet we have only had three hospital admission in the past 12 months, because our staff are trained by qualified nurse trainers and are only employed to care for one client, we have zero cross infection rates.

"Our clients receive the care they need to the highest standards by people who understand not only their needs but also what a quality of life means to them.

"They also receive support to focus on their hobbies, relationships and holidays. I have included a client testimonial with this letter from one of our complex care clients that shows how much having NHS funding in the community has improved their life."

The nurse added: "There are many companies out there like ours that can offer Wales a better outlook on health care. We act as the legal employer, manage funds, ensure delegation frameworks are followed and staff are highly trained. Care needs are met with regular reviews and most importantly we support people to lead a life that is important to them.

"I urge you to give the control of the care Welsh people receive back to the Welsh people and stop them living in the dark ages where they feel unheard and not cared for.

"By doing this you will not only be supporting the Welsh people you will also reduce A&E waiting times, enable easier discharges preventing medical sleep outs and bed blocking.

"So, I ask you to reconsider your funding frameworks and re-look at the petition that was given to you in 2022 by Samantha Stickland and Rhys Bowler."

That petition called for personalised care including Personal Health Budgets (PHBs) to be rolled out to all people in Wales.

Betsi Cadawaladr University Health Board and the Welsh Government have been approached for comment.