A report discussed by Cwm Taf Morgannwg’s Quality & Safety Committee earlier this week suggests that healthcare professionals and services in Bridgend have coped reasonably well with the ongoing Omicron wave of Covid-19 and the acceleration of the booster vaccination programme (pdf).
In December 2021, health boards were asked to offer all eligible adults a booster vaccine by the end of the month.
All clinical staff were drafted in to help meet the booster target and while this impacted routine work, it happened during a period when workloads were generally lower anyway.
By the end of December 2021, 77.2% of people had taken up the offer of a booster vaccine in Bridgend.
Steps were taken to reduce the number of visitors to hospital sites to reduce the spread of the Omicron variant.
As of January 2022, essential clinical activity has been prioritised (at the expense of oversight and patient safety work) with staff deployed where they are needed the most. Capacity at the Ysbyty’r Seren field hospital increased to 40 beds.
The report says that the health board expects the Omicron peak “to be short-lived” and more routine quality and patient safety work could restart during February 2022.
