Swansea Bay NHS

13/03/2026

🚭Today we are sharing the inspiring stories of Nicola and John to round off our week of activity for No Smoking Day.

They are looking forward to a smoke-free future thanks to the support of Swansea Bay’s Help Me Quit team.

If you’d like to join them, go to helpmequit.wales, text HMQ to 80818, phone 0800 085 2219 or email helpmequit@wales.nhs.uk

🎤 Here’s Nicola’s story:

Having joined a soft rock band, Nicola noticed she was getting a hoarse voice and a sore throat after singing.

She joined Help Me Quit in November to help strengthen her voice and improve her overall health as she lives with long-term health conditions including fibromyalgia and a spinal condition that mean she uses a walking stick.

Nicola also wanted to be a positive role model for her children.

She identified her main smoking triggers as stress, emotional changes and social situations, particularly those involving alcohol.

She started ni****ne replacement therapy, using ni****ne patches alongside an inhalator, which was helpful during moments when she would normally smoke. Nicola also attended weekly behavioural support sessions.

Having stopped smoking she noticed significant improvements in her breathing, a return of her sense of taste and smell, increased energy levels and a stronger and clearer singing voice.

🏖️John’s story:

A smoker since he was 14, John decided to quit after five decades when he suffered a severe viral brain infection.

Treating him required medication to be given directly into his veins, but years of smoking had hardened them, which posed a challenge for the clinical team.

The severity of his illness and being confined to a hospital bed with no opportunity to smoke proved the turning point. The Help Me Quit team paid a visit to John in hospital and, after starting daily ni****ne patches, he hasn’t looked back.

Now with a renewed appreciation for life and an estimated £5,000 extra a year in his pocket John, 70, is looking forward to holidays and making new memories with his family.

Both he and his wife will be able to enjoy them in better health. John’s wife, a non-smoker, lives with a lung disease that makes it difficult to breathe, so will benefit from a smoke-free environment.

John himself has noticed his breathing, overall wellbeing and appetite have improved since quitting.

His message to others is clear: “Life is precious and sometimes cut short. I don’t pretend quitting is easy, but your life will be longer without ci******es. Listen to the advice, accept the help, and make the change. I should have given up smoking years ago.”

13/03/2026

12/03/2026

Our Help Me Quit team has really enjoyed getting out and about with their information stands this week. But don’t worry if you couldn’t make it, they’re ready when you need them.

They will listen, understand the challenges you face and build a plan that fits your life, offering free expert advice and proven tools that will help you quit smoking for good.

Whether it’s your first attempt or your tenth — you’re not alone.

Help Me Quit has helped thousands of people take control of their health, their finances, and their future. And they can help you too.

Ready for a change? Go to helpmequit.wales, text HMQ to 80818, phone 0800 085 2219 or email helpmequit@wales.nhs.uk

12/03/2026

You can now access information online about the services and support available to you within your cluster.

Our eight Local Cluster Collaboratives (LCCs) now have their own dedicated pages on the health board website.

Find information about the services and projects your cluster provides, as well as the support available to you locally.

You can also find advice and guidance on living a healthy lifestyle and how to boost your health and wellbeing.

Find your cluster’s page below:
👉 Afan Cluster: https://sbuhb.nhs.wales/afan-cluster/
👉 Bay Health Cluster: https://sbuhb.nhs.wales/bay-health-cluster/
👉 City Health Cluster: https://sbuhb.nhs.wales/city-health-cluster/
👉 Cwmtawe Cluster: https://sbuhb.nhs.wales/cwmtawe-cluster/
👉 Llwchwr Cluster: https://sbuhb.nhs.wales/llwchwr-cluster/
👉 Neath Cluster: https://sbuhb.nhs.wales/neath-cluster/
👉 Penderi Cluster: https://sbuhb.nhs.wales/penderi-cluster/
👉 Upper Valleys Cluster: https://sbuhb.nhs.wales/upper-valleys-cluster/

12/03/2026

We are aware of concerns in the community around the appearance of metal shutters on windows at Gorseinon Hospital.

We would like to reassure residents that nothing has changed. Our existing statement, below, stands. The shutters are an important part of safeguarding the hospital, which we are committed to and continue to see as having a vibrant and important future.

They are there to protect it against vandals, ‘urban explorers’ and those who seek to asset strip empty buildings.

Here is the statement we issued on 26th February:

Gorseinon Hospital update: At a special meeting of Swansea Bay University Health Board today (26/2/2026) it was agreed to extend the temporary transfer of beds from Gorseinon Hospital to Singleton Hospital for a further six months.
The beds were originally transferred to Singleton in October for patient safety reasons and were due to remain there until 31st March. Today’s decision means that the beds will now continue to stay at Singleton until 30th September 2026.

However, it is important to note that Gorseinon Hospital remains open. We have no plans whatsoever to close the hospital.

Gorseinon is home to a wide range of valuable outpatient and community services (*see below), as well as being a key venue for blood tests.
Since the beds were transferred in October we have made a lot of progress in resolving safety concerns. However, we would not yet have been in a position to safely return the beds to Gorseinon by the end of March. Full details of the progress made and remaining challenges are outlined in more detail in the papers for the Special Board. You can access them here: https://sbuhb.nhs.wales/about-us/swansea-bay-uhb/key-documents/board-meetings-and-papers/february-2026-special-thursday-26/

This extension does not change the Health Board’s commitment to Gorseinon Hospital which we continue to see as having a vibrant and important future.
The nature of the role that Gorseinon Hospital plays going forward will be considered as part of our wider clinical services plan Transforming for the Future which is looking at how best we can deliver all our clinical services in ways which offer high quality, safe and sustainable care.

The next six months will therefore give us the opportunity to speak to staff, stakeholders and the public, and we’ll be holding a series of listening events, starting in Gorseinon, to ensure that the views of the local population are fed into that process before we even start to put pen to paper.

*Gorseinon Hospital is a base for several community teams and services. They are unaffected by the transfer of beds to Singleton and continue to operate as normal:

• Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy
• Respiratory, cardiology and medicine, including the Heart Failure Clinic for patients across Swansea Bay
• A range of support services
• Community bladder and bowel health (catheter, stoma care etc)
• Home First Nursing team - supporting patients to return home
• Occupational therapy – supporting patients in the community
• Health visiting – the base for our health visiting team
• Parkinson’s Nurses – the base for this team too
• Speech and language therapy - supporting the acute clinical team
• Phlebotomy – blood collection for GPs and other patient referrals
• District nursing – a base for our District Nursing Team
• School nursing – a base for our School Nursing Team.

12/03/2026

Feeling sick, achy or have a high temperature? These are common winter illnesses and usually get better at home within a few days.

Visit the website for trusted guidance on:
✅Recognising your symptoms
✅Learn how to manage them safely at home
✅Know when it’s time to seek further help

When you feel unwell and aren’t sure where to go, start with NHS 111 Wales. It’s a free, 24/7 service offering expert health advice.

🌐Visit https://111.wales.nhs.uk/
📞Call 111

11/03/2026

HPV is a very common virus which usually has no symptoms.

More than 70% of people who haven’t had the HPV vaccine will get HPV at some point in their life.

Most people who become infected with HPV clear the virus from their body, but others may develop a range of cancers in later life caused by the HPV virus.

The Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine plays a vital role in helping to protect against a range of cancers.

It is offered for free in schools across Wales to all 12 to 13-year-olds (year 8, girls and boys) and to those who might have missed their vaccination.

One dose of the HPV vaccine is given. This vaccine protects against cervical cancer and some other cancers, such as cancers of the head and neck.

In our video, School Nurse Jemma Hickson and Sexual Health Clinical Nurse Specialist Emma Walters explain the importance of the HPV vaccine, some myth busting facts and why parents/carers should consider giving consent for their child to have the vaccine to protect them in later life.

Our school nursing teams are currently running catch up clinics for those who may have missed their vaccinations.

If you think your child has been missed, please contact your school nursing team on SBU.SchoolNursing@wales.nhs.uk or 01639 862801 for further information.

Help protect your child’s future health.

11/03/2026

A team committed to using technology to improve the lives of people with diabetes is in the running for a prestigious national award.

Diabetes rates across Swansea Bay and Wales are a cause for concern and are noticeably higher in Neath and Port Talbot.

The health board has a specialist team providing secondary care support for people living with type one, type two and gestational diabetes, the latter developed during pregnancy.

Now the team, based at Neath Port Talbot Hospital, has been shortlisted in the Diabetes Nurse of the Year category at this year’s British Journal of Nursing Awards.

This is for its work in addressing health inequalities by improving access to diabetes technology for residents of Neath and Port Talbot.

Research has found that people in deprived communities are more likely to live with diabetes but are less likely to access insulin pump therapy and other technology.

Barriers including lower digital literacy, digital exclusion, transportation challenges, and social and economic pressures have historically contributed to poorer health outcomes and reduced engagement with specialist diabetes services.

Lucy Walters, lead nurse at the Neath Port Talbot Hospital diabetes unit, said: “We tailored insulin pump education and ongoing support to accommodate varying levels of technological familiarity.

“This approach allowed us to build confidence gradually and safely. As a result, we have initiated a similar number of insulin pump starts in the past 12 months as more affluent regions of Wales.

“Our strategy has enhanced equitable access to insulin pump therapy, increased patient engagement, and allowed people from deprived backgrounds to benefit from advanced diabetes technology.

“Higher diabetes prevalence and lower levels of technological literacy should not hinder access to state-of-the-art care.”

The BJN awards celebrate excellence in research and practice while recognising outstanding achievements across nursing. Category winners will be announced at a ceremony in London on Friday 20th March

Lucy said being nominated for the award was a celebration in itself.

“Our insulin pump team, from our incredibly supportive administrative staff to our dedicated consultants, works tirelessly to ensure our patients not only have access to this life-changing technology, but also the knowledge and confidence to manage it independently,” she added.

“In the context of the significant gap between access to insulin pump therapy and deprivation, this recognition feels especially meaningful. It reflects our shared commitment to reducing inequalities and expanding opportunity for the people who need it most.”

Directorate Support Manager Mathew Davies said: “The team work tirelessly to provide the highest standard of care to their patients.

“Their dedication, professionalism, and compassionate approach is exemplary. Our Neath Port Talbot team consistently embody our health board’s values and demonstrate a forward-thinking attitude towards change and the evolving needs of our services. We’re so proud of them.”

(Pictured left to right are diabetes specialist nurses Rachel Harris and Caroline Davies-McHugh, lead diabetes specialist nurse Lyndsey Evans, dietician Lucie Bentley, lead nurse for Neath Port Talbot Lucy Walters, and administration support officer Jessica Lewis)

11/03/2026

Work has started on a £10 million state-of-the-art operating theatre at Swansea’s Morriston Hospital.

The hybrid theatre is being developed in one of the courtyards just off the main hospital corridor and behind the catheter labs which are part of the Cardiac Centre.

There will be changes to parking and some temporary closures during the initial phase, but this will be kept to a minimum.

The theatre is funded by Welsh Government to improve vascular services for patients across the Swansea Bay and Hywel Dda health board areas.

Vascular surgery treats patients with diseased arteries and veins. Blocked arteries can result in limb amputation and swollen blood vessels, or aneurysms, which can burst, resulting in sudden death.

The new theatre will treat up to 500 patients a year. It will combine operating theatre functionality with the most modern CT imaging equipment.

This will allow vascular surgery to be conducted alongside keyhole surgery, which is less invasive.

Being able to do both can mean fewer procedures and a shorter stay in hospital and will cut waiting times by providing quicker access to surgery.

Site preparatory work is currently being undertaken. This has meant removing some disabled parking spaces outside the ALAC building, with alternative provision in the car park opposite.

This is to create a secure base for a large crane that will be used to lift construction equipment and the modular theatre building into place.

There will be additional disruption while the work continues, though this will mostly be limited to bank holidays and weekends. The temporary parking changes are expected to last until mid to late April.

The focus will then be on the building interior, ready for the new hybrid theatre to receive its first patients in September.

11/03/2026

Thinking of quitting? 🚭

No Smoking Day is a good day to begin and those who quit with professional NHS support are up to three times more likely to succeed. 💪

Pop along to see our Help Me Quit team at Morriston Hospital, in the main foyer by Costa, between 9am -1pm, Port Talbot Resource Centre 9am - 12pm and CREST Community Venue, Cwmbwrla, 11am -3pm.

Or go to helpmequit.wales, text HMQ to 80818, phone 0800 085 2219 or email helpmequit@wales.nhs.uk

10/03/2026

Swansea Bay’s pelvic health physiotherapy service is running free community-based educational sessions about pelvic floor and health.

The sessions are available to women aged 16 and over, and supporting partners are also welcome to attend too.

They will cover information on bladder symptoms, such as leaking when you're laughing, jumping or exercising, or bladder overactivity, bowel problems such as faecal incontinence, prolapse symptoms, and pain with in*******se.

The team will also talk about menstrual health and pelvic floor symptoms to look out for in menopause.

The information provided will be relevant to women at various life stages.

Upcoming sessions will be held at:
👉 Tesco Fforestfach’s community room
👉 Morrisons Baglan
👉 Tesco Llansamlet's community room

You can find all of the dates and can book onto any of the sessions here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/pelvic-health-physiotherapy-sbuhb-119936844861

10/03/2026

Visit your local pharmacist for free, confidential advice and treatment if needed, for a range of women’s health matters – like emergency contraception, urinary tract infections and period pains.

Visit gov.wales/HelpUsHelpYou to learn more about getting the right care, in the right place, first time.