 A £358 million hospital has been open since 2020 without proper planning permission for its A&E. Health chiefs at The Grange University Hospital in Cwmbran, South Wales, failed to plan for 'walk in' patients so didn't seek planning permission. They assumed casualty patients would be 'triaged' – arriving from another hospital or transferred by ambulance or helicopter. A car park has now been built by the Aneurin Bevan University Health Board and planning permission has been sought so patients can 'self present'. Torfaen council planning consultant Duncan Smith said: 'The hospital originally had planning permission to deal with triage patients. 'Since coming into operation people have basically come up to the door to use the hospital as walk in patients, that hasn't got permission. 'The majority arrive by car. The unauthorised use has been in place since 2020 and this application seeks to authorise that use.' The A&E department has also been granted additional seating, new patient assessment rooms and an additional electrocardiogram room. Planning permission has now been sought so patients can 'self present' (Picture: Wales News Service) Despite plans being approved, some councillors took issue with the lack of parking at the hospital. Councillor Karl Gauden said neighbours were fed up of 'hospital staff using Crown Road as a rat run'. He said: 'Quite frankly residents in Llanfrechfa have had a guts full of people parking on their street.' The hospital was given an extra £10 million to open a year earlier than planned to help patients during the pandemic. But it was found to be putting patients at risk in 2022 when it was visited by health inspectors. Patients waited up to 15 hours in the back of ambulances and in a 'very small, cramped and unfit for purpose' waiting area, inspectors found. Some councillors took issue with the hospital's lack){kind=link}
NEWS… BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT
A £358 million hospital has been open since 2020 without proper planning permission for its A&E.
Health chiefs at The Grange University Hospital in Cwmbran, South Wales, failed to plan for ‘walk in’ patients so didn’t seek planning permission.
They assumed casualty patients would be ‘triaged’ – arriving from another hospital or transferred by ambulance or helicopter.
A car park has now been built by the Aneurin Bevan University Health Board and planning permission has been sought so patients can ‘self present’.