Concerns raised about Wales' biggest hospital.

A report issued by the Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) into Cardiff University Hospital of Wales, describes some departments as “dangerous” with patients “dying regularly” while waiting for a heart operation.

Wales' biggest hospital comes under scrutiny following a visit to surgical departments by its Public Affairs Board for Wales in April of this year.

The visit highlighted several examples of  "serious problems”. These included:-

• Cardiac patients “regularly dying on waiting lists”.
• Children being fitted with hearing aids because of lack of surgical time and resources to insert grommets.
• Patients “suffering complications” because of delays in treating kidney stones.
• A & E and intensive care units becoming gridlocked with patients “often stacked up in corridors and ambulances”.

The most common complaint from the surgeons at the hospital was the inability to admit patients for scheduled or elective surgery.

Adam Cairns the Chief Executive of the Cardiff & Vale University Health Board said he accepted that the situation earlier in the year was cause for concern. He talked of a time of relentless pressure on the NHS in the first few months of 2013. He went on to say that “some of things we are already doing are showing some improvements… the bottom line here is we can, and we will, do better”.