AMs urge Swansea residents to “have your say” on centralising thoracic surgery at Morriston

​Rebecca Evans AM, Mike Hedges AM and Julie James AM, have warmly welcomed the recommendation that a single Adult Thoracic Surgery Centre should be located at Morriston Hospital in Swansea, serving patients from South East Wales, West Wales and South Powys. 
 
This is now the subject of a public consultation running until August 27th, which the Swansea Labour Assembly Members are encouraging people to support.
 
Thoracic surgery involves operations on all parts of the chest, including the lungs.  A large part of a thoracic surgical team’s work is on patients with lung cancer. They also operate on patients with other noncancerous conditions such as punctured lungs or complications from pneumonia, and carry out biopsies on people with certain types of lung disease to help get a diagnosis.
 
Rebecca Evans, Gower AM said: “This is an exciting recommendation. If it gets the go-ahead, Morriston would be one of the largest thoracic surgery centres in the UK, offering the best support and care for patients, and putting us on the map for this kind of expertise.”
 
Swansea West AM, Julie James said: “It is great news that Morriston Hospital has been recommended as the primary site to provide care for thoracic patients in South Wales. This is about providing the best level and quality of care for patients across South Wales and ensuring that specialist services are sustainable in the long term.”
 
Mike Hedges, Swansea East AM, said: “The quality of the workforce and the site at Morriston is second to none. The current transformation of hospital services will hopefully revolutionise the treatment patients in Swansea and the whole of South Wales receives.”
 
People across Swansea are being encouraged to respond in support of the recommendation via: ​http://www.whssc.wales.nhs.uk/thoracic-surgery-services-in-south-wales