Author: Rhys Gregory

First Minister Mark Drakeford and NHS Wales are appealing to the Welsh public to download a new COVID Symptom Tracker app to help the NHS response to COVID-19 in Wales. People across Wales are being asked to log their daily symptoms to help build a clearer picture of how the virus is affecting people. The app is for everyone, not just those who are experiencing symptoms. Developed by researchers at King’s College London and healthcare science company, ZOE, the COVID-19 Symptom Tracker is already being used by more than 38,000 people in Wales, and over 2 million across the UK.…

Ministry of Furniture and sister company Ministry Graphics are making their contribution to the fight against COVID-19 by repurposing their facilities to make equipment to help frontline key workers. From its Group factory in Ystalyfera, the Ministry Graphics team has repurposed its machinery and facilities to allow it to make disposable face shields that can be used by frontline healthcare workers. It aims to be making as many as 500 a day at the site within a week. It will be supplying the face shields to organisations at a heavily discounted price and, for every item it sells, it will…

Mae BookTrust Cymru yn lansio hwb digidol newydd i helpu i ddifyrru plant a theuluoedd sydd gartref, ac i rannu llyfrau, straeon a rhigymau gan rai o hoff awduron, darlunwyr a storïwyr Cymru. Bydd BookTrust Cymru HomeTime – AmserGartref BookTrust Cymru yn cynnwys darlleniadau o lyfrau wedi’u ffilmio, sesiynau rhigwm a chân, llyfrau stori a llun rhyngweithiol a llawer iawn mwy. Mae awduron, darlunwyr a storïwyr o bob cwr o Gymru’n cyfrannu’u gwaith i helpu plant a theuluoedd ddod drwy’r amser anodd hwn tra bo’r ysgolion ar gau a bywyd arferol wedi’i gyfyngu. Bydd AmserGartref BookTrust Cymru yn rhoi cyfle…

BookTrust Cymru are launching a new digital hub to help entertain children and families at home and share books, stories and rhymes from some of Wales’s favourite writers, illustrators and storytellers.  BookTrust Cymru HomeTime – AmserGartref BookTrust Cymru will include filmed book readings, rhyme and song sessions, interactive picture books and much more. Authors, illustrators and storytellers from across Wales are contributing their work to help children and families through this difficult time when our schools are closed and normal life is restricted.  BookTrust Cymru HomeTime will shine a light on some of the great talent that we have in Wales and…

Care home owners in Wales have protested they are being put under pressure to admit patients from hospitals when they haven’t got access to tests and enough personal protective equipment to shield residents and staff from the coronavirus. Mary Wimbury, the chief executive of Care Forum Wales, has written to First Minister Mark Drakeford saying they Welsh Government appeared to be willing to sacrifice 20,000 vulnerable care home residents. She called on Prof Drakeford to disclose the Welsh Government’s own risk assessment in relation to discharging patients from hospitals to care homes. While she understood the importance of creating more…

Principality Building Society has donated £60,000 to its charity partners, the Alzheimer’s Society Cymru and the Teenage Cancer Trust Cymru. The donation, which is split equally between both charities, will go a long way in supporting the local services they provide in Wales during the COVID-19 crisis. The funding will help Alzheimer’s Society provide increased support to people living with dementia and isolating through its Dementia Connect service, as well as supporting Teenage Cancer Trust, who provide specialist nursing care and emotional support for young people with cancer at its dedicated unit at the University Hospital of Wales. With an…

Training courses to get new and returning health care workers into hospitals quickly as demand rises due to COVID-19 are taking place at Swansea’s Liberty Stadium. Newly-registered nurses, new health care support workers (HCSWs), existing clinical staff and medical students are among those on specially designed, fast-track induction programs delivered by the nurse education team at Swansea Bay University Heath Board. The size of the venue, left, means larger numbers of trainees can go through the training programs while still being able to observe social distancing measures. Moving training out of the hospitals has also freed up clinical areas for…

While we’re in lockdown and dealing with a very different world to the one we’re used to, it’s easy to get distracted by social media. Keeping in touch with family and friends while cooped up is vitally important for our happiness, and also our mental health. But social media could also cause us problems if we’re not careful, particularly if we share more information than we normally would. Rachael Medhurst, cyber security lecturer at the Newport Campus-based National Cyber Security Academy (NCSA), explains how an innocent social media post could help hackers learn lots more about you than you realise.…

As the Easter bank holiday approaches, South Wales Police continues to have one simple request for our communities: Please, stay home and save lives. We and our partners – particularly those in health and social care – are working around the clock to care for and keep people safe during the coronavirus pandemic. Each and every one of us must continue to do everything we can to support those on the frontline of caring for those most in need; doing so will protect them and our NHS and ultimately save lives. The vast majority of the public have understood the…

GP surgeries and pharmacies in Swansea will remain open to provide emergency cover over Easter. Doctor surgeries and pharmacies in the Swansea Bay University Health Board area have volunteered to put in extra hours over Easter, as Primary Care continues to rise to the unprecedented demands of fighting Coronavirus. Many GPs are open on Good Friday and Easter Monday, with some also opening up on Saturday and Easter Sunday. It’s the same with pharmacies, despite working flat out for weeks, many have volunteered to be added to the Easter rota. Not all GPs and pharmacies have been able to do…