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Specialist Services Clinical Board

The Specialist Services Clinical Board is made up of seven clinical directorates with associated clinical services and sub-specialities.

The Clinical Board comprises a number of highly specialised areas serving both the South East region and wider all Wales population. The services also generally provide secondary care services to the local Cardiff and Vale of Glamorgan population. For certain specialities, services are provided on a South Wales and all Wales basis.

The services provided by the Clinical Board are predominantly Welsh Health Specialised Services Committee (WHSSC) commissioned and provide for the wider regional and Welsh population.

Services are currently structured through the seven directorates outlined below:

Cardiothoracic Services

The Cardiothoracic Services Directorate is based primarily in UHW (with additional secondary care outpatient and diagnostic services in UHL) and provides outpatient, specialist diagnostic, day case and inpatient services to both the local Cardiff and the Vale Glamorgan and also the wider South East Wales populations.

There is a dedicated outpatient and diagnostic department based on the B1-C1 Link corridor at UHW, a dedicated 12 bedded Cardiac Day Case Unit, three fully commissioned Cardiac Catheter Laboratories, four inpatient wards (including an eight bedded Critical Care Unit (CCU) and 14 bedded Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (ICU), and three Cardiothoracic Theatres within the General Theatre Suite.

Critical Care

The Critical Care Directorate provides adult critical care services at both UHW and UHL.  The main unit is based on A3 and B3 at UHW and has flexible Level 3 and Level 2 capacity for 31 patients. The UHL unit has flexible capacity for six patients.

Critical Care demand fluctuates significantly, and whilst the majority of patients are admitted through the secondary and tertiary emergency streams, there is an element of pre-booked highly complex elective surgery on both sites that requires Critical Care support. There is now a dedicated Post Anaesthetic Care Unit on the UHW site which cares for up to 6 postoperative
elective surgical patients.

Haematology and Clinical Immunology

The Haematology and Clinical Immunology Directorate is based primarily in UHW (with a supporting Haematology Day Unit in UHL) and provides outpatient, day treatment and inpatient services to both the local Cardiff and Vale, and also the wider South East Wales populations. The Haematology service is the only Level 4 centre in Wales.

Clinical Immunology services are predominantly outpatient and lab based at UHW, with the majority of treatments delivered through patient home treatment services. There are also close links with paediatric services for both specialties.

There is a dedicated Haematology Day Unit, and a highly specialised ward (both general Haematology and the Bone Marrow Transplant Unit) on Ward B4 Haematology based at UHW.  In April 2015, Specialist Services took over the management of the Teenage Cancer Trust Unit which provides inpatient treatment for up to eight patients.

Medical Genetics

The Medical Genetics Directorate provides an all Wales Clinical Genetics service to all 7 health boards. The service is outpatient and lab based with a small but highly specialised workforce of consultants and genetic counsellors. The directorate also manages the FH (Familial Hypercholesterolemia) all Wales service.

Nephrology and Transplant

The Nephrology and Transplant Services Directorate is based at UHW and provides outpatient, specialist diagnostic, dialysis and inpatient services to both the local Cardiff and Vale, and also the wider South East Wales populations.

There is a dedicated outpatient department based in the Tertiary Tower T1 at UHW, and 2 inpatient wards: General Nephrology (ward B5) and the Cardiff Transplant Unit in the Tertiary Tower (T5). The Directorate is also responsible for the management of the multiple dialysis units across the southeast region, and are  jointly contracted by NHS Blood and Transplant
(NHSBT) with Birmingham Foundation Trust to provide the NORS (National Organ Retrieval Service) for Wales and South West England.

Neurosciences

The Neurosciences Services Directorate is based primarily at UHW and provides outpatient, specialist diagnostic, day treatment and inpatient services to both the local Cardiff and Vale, and also the wider South East Wales populations.

The Neurology Service is based on Ward C4 (with 8 dedicated inpatient beds, a 6 bedded day treatment unit and a 2 bedded telemetry unit).

The Neurosurgery service consists of 3 wards; C4, B4 and the 18 bedded high care ward in the Tertiary Tower (T4). 

The regional Spinal Injury Unit (West 8) and the regional Neuro-Rehabilitation Unit (West 10) are based within The Llandough Centre for Specialist Spinal and Neurological Rehabilitation in the University Hospital of Llandough.  The prolonged disorders of consciousness service (PDOC) sits within the Neuro-Rehabilitation Unit. 

Artificial Limb and Appliance Service (ALAS)

The Artificial Limb and Appliance Centre is based on the Rookwood Hospital site with a depot at Treforest. ALAC provides outpatient, specialist diagnostic/assessment, prosthetic and wheelchair services to both the local Cardiff and Vale, and also the wider South East Wales populations.
 



Clinical Board Management Team

Clinical Board Director — Mr Guy Blackshaw

Director of Operations — Jessica Castle

Director of Nursing — Claire Main

Head of Finance — Chris Markall

Head of Workforce & OD — Terri Waites

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