Published Letter to Western Mail Wednesday, October 3

icWales - Wednesday, October 3

Well done, Minister
SIR – Further to your article (“Minister orders review of health body”, September 27), the Kidney Wales Foundation People Like Us Campaign would like to congratulate Health Minister Edwina Hart on making the decision to ask Professor Mansel Aylward, chair of the Wales Centre for Health, to undertake a review of Health Commission Wales’ functions, including its decision-making processes and appeals mechanisms.
The PLUs campaign was launched in the National Assembly for Wales on September 20 with a series of key aims to raise the standards and accessibility of kidney services in Wales. This campaign is an attempt to voice concerns that are never heard: Patients who are struggling to get on with life, whether on dialysis, waiting for a transplant, or worrying about their care or the care of their loved ones.
Kidney Wales believes such voices should be heard. The Minister reflected this when she said during her announcement that her decision to call the review had been influenced by the concerns of patients.
Many of the key areas which affect us are funded and planned by Health Commission Wales. To quote Dr Dai Lloyd AM, in responding to the Minister’s Statement to the Assembly: “It is clear that there is an urgent need to increase the number of dialysis units in Wales. That need has been urgent for years now. There is also an urgent need to establish a transplant unit at the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff. That need has also existed for years. Both of those decisions are within the ambit of Health Commission Wales, but nothing has happened, and people are suffering.”
The Minister has asked Prof Aylward to report his findings to her by the end of this calendar year. We commend the Minister for her speedy action.
The suffering must end.
ALLISON JOHN
Leader of the People Like Us Campaign, Ambassador, Kidney Wales Foundation, Museum Place, Cardiff