Laura Anne Jones MS has today hit out at the Health Minister for the appalling accident and emergency facilities in the region and called for a massive improvement, quickly.

 The Member for South Wales East spoke about having to go to A&E twice last week, at the Grange University Hospital; where she spent seventeen and three-quarter hours waiting along with many others to see a doctor. 

She went on to describe the 21 ambulances that she had seen during her visit, which for the majority of the time were static, waiting outside.

Ms Jones spoke to one of the paramedics, who said that in Cardiff University Hospital there was a one-hour turnaround. Meanwhile, in the Grange, they were experiencing eight to 10-hour turnarounds.

She finally touched on seeing other patients' struggle; watching as they resorted to banging doors for help and there being no care during that whole time in the A&E. In an upsetting observation, Ms Jones also talked about an 82-year-old that had next to her, who had to wait 14 hours with a hernia poking out of him before finally deciding to go home after 14 hours.

On the crisis, Laura Anne Jones said: “The Grange University Hospital A&E is not fit for purpose in any shape or form. For such a wonderful facility when you get past the assessment doors the A&E space is utterly appalling, in design, comfort, and staff management.

“During the concept and construction of the Grange, the philosophy was going to be that of a critical care facility that wasn't going to be, particularly public facing. Clearly, that changed at a later date when pretty much all the structural decision-making had been completed and now patients are paying the price for this late, reckless change.

“It is clear that massive changes need to happen. The Welsh Labour Government needs to get a grip of this situation along with Aneurin Bevan health board to ensure that scenes like I witnessed A&E in the Grange aren't repeated.”

The Grange has been the source of much criticism in the last few days, after Aneurin Bevan health board warned residents via social media to not to go to the emergency department at the Grange Hospital, unless it’s life-threatening or a serious injury.