The funding will enable Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University Health Board to refurbish and redevelop Penclawdd and Murton health centres, providing modern, fit-for-purpose facilities. 

The investment in Penclawdd will see a wide range of primary and community services provided from seven fully-modernised, multi-functional clinical rooms.

In Murton, the refurbishment work will involve significant external and internal work, including the refurbishment of four consulting/treatment rooms to comply with current standards. 

These changes will result in more sustainable and efficient service provision for people living in the Gower, Swansea. The Penclawdd Centre will also be ready to accommodate additional people who may move into the area – the Swansea Local Development Plan outlines plans for up to 5,000 additional homes in the Gowerton area.  

The refurbishments are scheduled to be completed by summer 2019.

The investment is part of a Welsh Government commitment in Taking Wales Forward to invest in a new generation of integrated health and care centres across Wales.

Health Minister Vaughan Gething said:

“The Welsh Government is firmly committed to investing in our NHS, making sure it provides the very best care to people across Swansea and the Gower and the rest of Wales.

“The funding I’m announcing today will help transform the health centres in Penclawdd and Murton into modern healthcare facilities. This will help us deliver our long-term plan for health and social care in Wales by providing care closer to people’s homes.”

Professor Andrew Davies, Chair of Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University Health Board added:

“I am delighted with this investment in our services in Gower. It will enable the provision of modern facilities which will greatly enhance the accommodation and services provided to patients.

“The investment will be very much welcomed by the local community.”

£1m will be used to develop an extra operating theatre at the University Hospital in Llandough, as part of a new elective treatment centre at the hospital. 

The centre is part of Cardiff and Vale University Health Board’s clinical services strategy, which involves separating planned care from the theatres used for complex and emergency surgery at the University Hospital of Wales, in Cardiff. 

A further £2.542m is being invested in a replacement MRI scanner at Prince Charles Hospital in Merthyr Tydfil, and £2.185m in a replacement CT scanner at the Royal Gwent Hospital in Newport. 

Both of these investments will help the NHS to deliver timely diagnostic and imaging scanning, which will help to reduce the time patients spend in hospital.

Health Minister, Vaughan Gething said:

“The Welsh NHS treats hundreds of thousands of people each and every week so it’s vital we invest in the equipment and infrastructure our healthcare professionals need to ensure they can care for patients using state-of-the-art equipment in the most modern facilities.

“The investment I’m announcing today will allow the NHS to develop services, which benefit patients across South Wales, ensuring the health service can provide timely care and help reduce waiting times.”

Dr. Graham Shortland, Executive Medical Director at Cardiff and Vale University Health Board said:

“This important investment will allow us to continue to implement our Clinical Services Strategy by developing sustainable services and an infrastructure to deliver high-quality and timely care for patients resident in Cardiff, the Vale of Glamorgan and wider south Wales.”

Dr. Balan Palaniappan, Clinical Director for Radiology Services at Cwm Taf University Health Board said: 

“We are delighted with the announcement. Alongside the Diagnostics Hub at the Royal Glamorgan Hospital, replacement of the ageing MRI scanner with a state-of-the-art machine at Prince Charles Hospital will provide equitable access to a high quality diagnostics service for the people of Cwm Taf. This will be hugely beneficial, also providing MR imaging support for the excellent cancer diagnostics work that we are currently undertaking in the health board.”

Judith Paget, Chief Executive of Aneurin Bevan University Health Board said: 

“We are delighted with this important funding that has been announced today from Welsh Government. This will ensure we have a new state-of-the-art CT scanner at the Royal Gwent Hospital to help us to continue providing patients with the highest standard of care in the most timely manner.”

“I am very pleased to announce the continuation of this grant scheme of support for hydropower projects.  The grant scheme provided valuable support for almost 50 hydro projects last year.

“Renewable energy is a key part of our vision for a more sustainable future for Wales. Community owned energy projects provide significant local benefit to the communities they are located in and have been identified in the National Strategy, Prosperity for All, as a sector which should be supported.”

“The Welsh Government’s support for community hydro schemes towards the cost of business rates has been a great help to us, saving us £14,000 over our first two years and ensuring that the hard work of our volunteers in setting up the scheme has borne fruit. I am very pleased that this support will continue after 1st April. This will give us great confidence as we consider whether we can proceed with our second scheme next year.”

“We’ve been responding to a large increase in applications for small hydropower schemes in recent years. 

“In 2010 there were 57 licences for existing schemes in Wales but since then we have issued another 301 licences – many for community schemes – and are in the process of reviewing another 20.

“Well designed and operated schemes are a great example of how we can harness the natural resources available to us for the benefit of local communities while making sure we protect the river environment.”

“We are committed to working with the hydropower sector to help the right development in the right place, contributing to meeting Wales’ targets for renewable energy while protecting the river environment.”

“Last year we set ambitious targets for energy generation in Wales, including targets around community and local ownership, to ensure we capture the benefits for Wales from the transition to a low carbon energy system.

“I also set an expectation for all new renewable energy projects to include at least an element of local ownership from 2020. This will help retain wealth and provide real benefit to communities.”

Applications will be accepted from early April. Further details will be made available on the WG website in due course.

The station, which would be part of the wider South Wales Metro, will offer a turn-up-and-go service around 8 minutes away from Cardiff or Newport, with the proximity of the park and ride facility to the M4 motorway also resulting in a reduction the number of car journeys into our city centres. As part of the new partnership, the Welsh government will become a shareholder and investor in South Wales Infrastructure Limited, a joint venture with Investec and the Roberts, with Welsh Government and Investec providing equal funding for the next phase of the development.

The objective is to submit a planning application around summer time this year, with construction work then expected to begin in 2020. The ambition is for the station to be served by trains to Swansea, the Cardiff Capital Region, London, Bristol and Birmingham.

Economy and Transport Minister, Ken Skates said:

“This is an exciting project which we at Welsh Government are very pleased to be a part of. It’s an excellent example of Government and the private sector coming together to look at how best we can deliver better rail infrastructure whilst also creating high quality jobs. As well as the obvious day to day benefits for commuters, this will also help to manage congestion and reduce air and noise pollution in central Cardiff whilst dramatically improving access by public transport for those in St Mellons area. It will also serve as an important facility for the increasing number of major events being attracted to our capital city and the surrounding area. It really is a development of huge potential.”

Nigel Roberts, Chairman of South Wales Infrastructure Limited said:

“We are delighted to be working closely with Welsh Government on this transformational project alongside Investec who have shown such confidence in this major investment into Wales that will have such a positive impact for the capital region. Public Transport only works when you make it the transport of choice and we will make this a great customer experience. We acknowledge the enthusiasm for the project from Network Rail and all of the wider stakeholders.”  

David van der Walt, CEO, Investec added:

“We are convinced that the development will become a key hub in the regional economy and an important piece of the civic fabric. This endorsement of the strategic significance of the scheme by our new partner is a great boost for the project team to raise the tempo and help the company realise its vision and deliver its benefits without delay. Investec welcomes Welsh government to the joint venture.”

Teams4U a Welsh based organisation has been awarded the Wales for Africa Multi Year Grant to facilitate the project and will use a peer-to-peer training approach, building on previous work in the area.

Teachers and nurses from Wales will visit the schools twice a term to develop lesson plans and model teaching methods. Parents will also be involved and meetings will be held with Parent Teacher Associations.

Establishing a sexual health curriculum will help to challenge stigma concerning menstruation and increase education on menstrual health (MHM) and sexual reproductive health (SRH) and create better links between schools and their local health clinics. It will also help to combat school absenteeism related to menstrual health. Promoting access to health services, the project aims to benefit approximately 18,000 children.

The project is timely as the Ugandan government developed the first Sexual Education Framework in May 2018. Teams 4U volunteers will conduct a 2-day seminar for 100 teachers from the participating schools on the Ugandan Sexual Education Framework and how to apply this to the classroom and school curriculum.

In Wales, Teams4U will facilitate a new part time role to work with Welsh schools, colleges and Universities to develop school links and contribute expertise and volunteering time to the project. Targets include engaging with at least 20 primary schools, contributing to the global citizenship education of an estimated 600 pupils in North Wales.

The grant scheme, administrated by Wales Council for Voluntary Action (WCVA), enables community groups and organisations throughout Wales to access funding for small-scale Wales-Africa projects that have a positive impact in Africa and at home in Wales.

Eluned Morgan, the Minister for International Relations and Welsh Language, said:

“Our Wales for Africa grants programme transforms the lives of tens of thousands of people from across this beautiful and diverse continent every year. It’s estimated this Teams 4U grant will benefit 18,000 children – a tremendous number of soon-to-be adults who will be more informed, better educated and healthier thanks to Welsh Government funding.

“It’s important we recognise the mutual benefits from supporting projects abroad and I encourage groups and organisations from across the country to bid for funding so they too can benefit the lives of people here and in Africa – Welsh support, past and future, truly makes a difference.”

The next Wales for Africa main grants for applications between £5,000 and £15,000 will open in Spring 2019.