Broken lifts at a hospital in Abergavenny are causing delays of over half an hour, according to a local woman.

Beverley Jones, from Raglan, said visiting her elderly mother at Nevill Hall hospital with her father became increasingly difficult during a period of almost three weeks.

“We came across a porter who had been waiting with a patient for 40 minutes,” she told the Chronicle.

“It was difficult to get beds into the lifts because they were always so full, and my dad has rheumatoid arthritis. He is 88, and my mum is 93 so the stairs just weren’t an option most of the time.”

“But there are people in the hospital who are in worse situations than we were. Some will need to reach family members quickly and the same goes for doctors, who may need to rush to a patient.”

Bev’s mum is now thankfully recovering at home and praised the excellent care from the staff at Nevill Hall. However, she still has questions about where accountability will lie for these issues.

Aneurin Bevan University Health Board was escalated to step four on the Welsh Government’s five-point programme earlier this week. That means the health board would be placed under special measures if standards slip any further.

The body is also forecasting a financial deficit of roughly £18.3 million for the financial year. That’s something the Health Secretary, Jeremy Miles MS, has described as “unacceptable.”

“The health board’s financial position has rapidly deteriorated,” he told the Senedd in an update on the state of each health board in Wales.

“The health board has failed to deliver the required improvements.”

In a statement, Aneurin Bevan University Health Board apologised for the delays caused to patients, visitors and staff but did confirm they were investing in a solution.

“We know that recent lift problems at Nevill Hall Hospital have caused inconvenience for patients and visitors, and we’re very sorry for this,” a spokesperson said.

"We’re currently upgrading the lifts to make them safer and more reliable. While this work is a big investment in improving our facilities, it does mean that occasional issues can still happen. When a lift breaks down, we report it straight away to our specialist team, who work across NHS Wales to get repairs done as quickly as possible.”

"We would like to thank people for their patience and understanding as we make these improvements to create a better experience at Nevill Hall Hospital.”

ABUHB also reassured patients and visitors that thorough assessments had taken place to identify issues with RAAC concrete at the hospital. Four offices and the chapel was closed as a result in August this year, but all wards and patient services were able to remain open.

“We continue to conduct regular inspections to ensure the site remains safe and to ascertain the extent and financial impact of this problem, and have undertaken this temporary remedial works in the meantime,” it said.

“As this work progresses, the Health Board, alongside expert structural engineers, NHS Wales Estates, and Welsh Government, will consider the full extent of the work needed at the hospital.”