Air Ambulance called as child was unwell at Powys hospital
It is believed that the child was suffering with heat exhaustion and dehydration and had attended Brecon War Memorial Hospital on Tuesday, July 8.
Powys Teaching Health Board (PTHB) sending out a warning that in the event of someone feeling seriously unwell, it is always advisable to phone 999 rather than visit a community hospital.
'I can confirm the Wales Air Ambulance attended an incident in the Brecon area on Tuesday, July 8,' said a spokesperson for the Wales Air Ambulance charity.
'Our Dafen-based crew were allocated at 3.58pm and arrived at the scene, via air, at 4.24pm. Our involvement concluded at 7.33pm.'
A PTHB spokesperson said: 'In a health emergency it is really important to avoid unnecessary delay.
'So, if your child is seriously unwell or seriously injured, please call 999.
'For illnesses that are not as serious, please use the NHS 111 Wales Symptom Checker or make an appointment with your GP. Or call NHS Direct Wales 111 if you are unsure about what to do.
'Adults and children age 2 and over with minor injuries (such as sprains, cuts or minor burns) can be seen at our minor injury units in Brecon, Llandrindod Wells, Welshpool and Ystradgynlais.
'Powys Teaching Health Board encourages patients to phone first for Minor Injury Unit wherever possible, so that they can provide telephone advice including directing you to an alternative service if your injury cannot be treated in a Minor Injury Unit setting.'
You can visit a Powys Teaching Health Board Minor Injury Unit for:
• Broken bones (fractures)
• Dislocations, sprains and strains
• Wounds and minor burns
• Simple insect stings without complications
• Insect, animal and human bites
• Foreign bodies to eyes, ears and nose
• Head or face injuries (if there is no loss or change in level of consciousness)
• Non-penetrating eye and ear injuries
• Minor injuries
Minor Injury Units cannot treat:
• Colds, coughs, sore throats, earache, rashes, temperatures
• Illness/minor illness
• Urinary infections, cystitis or catheter problems
• Dental problems
• Accident with injury to abdomen/stomach
• Abdominal pain
• Chest pain
• Collapse
• Breathing problems
• Stroke
• Overdose and poisoning
• Painful limbs, joints or backs (not caused by an injury)
• Skin complaints including boils and rashes
• Loss of consciousness
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Medical News Today
2 days ago
- Medical News Today
Mediterranean or plant-based diets may reduce constipation risk with age
Chronic constipation happens when a person has difficulty passing stool for at least three months or more. While people can have chronic constipation at any age, it is more common as people get older.A new study has found that following the Mediterranean diet or a plant-based diet may help lower the risk of chronic constipation in middle-aged and older adults. Researchers estimate that about 15% of the world's population lives with chronic constipation, where constipation lasts for three or more months and has a profound impact on a person's daily you can have chronic constipation at any age, it is more common as we get older. Past studies show that between 15%-30% of adults ages 60 and older have chronic constipation.'Chronic constipation is highly prevalent in older adults and significantly impairs quality of life,' Kyle Staller, MD, MPH, gastroenterologist and director of the Gastrointestinal Motility Laboratory at Massachusetts General Hospital, associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, told Medical News Today. 'It also imposes a substantial burden on the healthcare system, with millions of outpatient and emergency department visits and increased medical costs. As aging is one of the largest risk factors for chronic constipation, identifying accessible, preventive strategies … (are) essential to reduce both personal suffering and healthcare utilization.' Staller is the senior author of a new study recently published in the journal Gastroenterology that found following the Mediterranean diet or a plant-based diet may help lower chronic constipation risk in middle- and older-age adults. 5 dietary patterns and their impact on chronic constipationFor this study, researchers analyzed health data for nearly 96,000 adults with an average age of 72.5 from three cohorts — the Nurses' Health Study (NHS), Nurses' Health Study II, and the Health Professional Follow-up Study (HPFS). Chronic constipation was defined as having symptoms for at least 12 weeks in a year. Researchers assessed study participants' adherence to five dietary patterns: Empirical dietary inflammatory pattern (EDIP) (a tool used to measure how inflammatory a person's diet might be)Low-carbohydrate dietMediterranean dietPlant-based dietary index (PDI) (scoring tool used to determine how much of a person's diet is plant-based)Western diet'The study aimed to capture a wide spectrum of real-world eating patterns that might influence gut function,' Staller explained. 'The five dietary patterns were chosen because they represent evidence-based dietary guidelines with known cardiovascular benefits (Mediterranean diet), popular health-conscious choices (plant-based and low-carb diets), typical modern diets (Western diet), and a diet with evidence showing inflammatory potential (inflammatory diet), thus allowing for a comprehensive evaluation of dietary impacts on constipation risk.'— Kyle Staller, MD, MPHMed diet, plant-based diet helps lower chronic constipation riskUpon analysis, Staller and his team found that study participants following the Mediterranean or plant-based diets had a lower risk for developing chronic constipation.'This finding highlights the potential for long-term adherence to diets rich in vegetables, nuts, and healthy fats to lower the risk of chronic constipation, independent of total fiber intake,' Staller said. 'It supports using whole dietary patterns, not just isolated nutrients, as preventive strategies. These diets may work by modulating the gut microbiome, increasing short-chain fatty acid production, and reducing systemic inflammation — all of which contribute to improved gut motility and function,' he researchers discovered that participants who followed the Western or inflammatory diet were more likely to develop chronic diets increase risk of constipation? 'Our data suggest that diets high in processed foods, red meats, and refined grains — common in Western and inflammatory diets — may increase the risk of chronic constipation. Although the mechanism by which these effects occur was not studied, these diets may promote gut inflammation and negatively affect gut microbiota, emphasizing the importance of limiting such dietary patterns for better gastrointestinal health.'— Kyle Staller, MD, MPH'We have hypothesized that the benefits of the Mediterranean diet may be mediated through its impact on the gut microbiome,' Staller continued. 'We would like to examine the microbiome profile among those consuming a Mediterranean diet who do not develop constipation with aging and compare it to those consuming a Western diet who do develop constipation. If these studies support a mechanistic rationale for the Mediterranean diet, we would pilot a feeding study to see if the Mediterranean diet can treat older adults who have already developed chronic constipation,' he added. More constipation as we ageMNT had the opportunity to speak with Ashkan Farhadi, MD, a board certified gastroenterologist at MemorialCare Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley, CA, and author of The Rhymes of Happiness: Weaving Science, Art and Poetry in the Pursuit of Happiness, about this study, who commented this research helps validate what doctors know what to be right with data to back it up. 'When we get older, most of the movement in the body gets slower, and that does not exclude the colon,' Farhadi explained. 'Many studies have shown as we grow older, the transit time in the colon is reduced in speed and frequencies. And it's not surprising that people get more constipated as they get older.''The other factor that is also important in this equation is [a] busy lifestyle,' he continued. 'One of the most common factors for constipation [i]s when you are busy, basically you ignore the urge, and after a while the colon gets tired sending messages and people get constipated.' 'To counter that, there are a couple of measures — one of them that is very important is diet,' Farhadi added. 'And this study is a strong, important, fact-based piece of information that we can use to help to counter that constipation.' How to encourage 'regular' bowel movementsMNT asked Monique Richard, MS, RDN, LDN, a registered dietitian nutritionist and owner of Nutrition-In-Sight, for her top tips on how readers can keep their bowel movement more 'regular' and help lower their risk for chronic constipation. 'Constipation isn't just about fiber — it's about rhythm, hydration, movement, and microbiome love,' Richard explained. 'Meeting with a registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN) can also explore the variables that could be addressed, including gut bacteria composition and metabolic pathways, as well as nutrient depletion, hydration status, and other physiological interference.'For general tips in reducing constipation, Richard recommends: Incorporating a variety of three to five servings of whole grains daily, such as oats, amaranth, quinoa, millet, rice, buckwheat, and four to six servings daily of varying fruits and vegetables based on what's local and in season. Hydrate throughout the day with water, herbal, or black and green healthy fats when cooking, as snacks, or as toppers to a meal, such as olive oil to a saute, nuts, or nut butters with fruit for a snack, or topping a salad with sesame seeds or toasted walnutsNourish the gut microbiota with foods rich in polyphenols such as berries, cocoa powder, and herbs and spices such as oregano, peppermint, sage, clove, and rosemary. The intestinal tract thrives with fresh oxygen flow and blood exchange — go for a walk, practice yoga, or participate in movement that you enjoy and can participate in on a regular basis, to help keep you magnesium intake is associated with constipation, especially in older adults. Incorporate foods rich in magnesium, such as pumpkin seeds, almonds, dark leafy greens, avocado, and and kiwi can be a delightful way to prevent constipation — add a couple for a snack with some nuts or seeds. Make a meal with beans a few times a week; add lentils to sides and main meals; snack on roasted garbanzo beans or consistent with meal time — bodies thrive on a schedule that lets them rest and digest with plenty of time in between to clean up and disseminate nutrients. Try to keep mealtime around the same times every day for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and plenty of time for rest between dinner and bedtime.'Real food, regular meals, and rest are non-negotiables in supporting gut health and effective elimination,' Richard added. 'The quality of input affects the output and everything in between.'
Powys County Times
3 days ago
- Powys County Times
Powys girl climbs Brecon Beacons mountain for dad 'Benny'
A schoolgirl from hay-on-Wye hiked Pen y Fan on Father's Day in memory of her dad after he passed away earlier this year. Edee Morris, a 12-year-old from Hay-on-Wye, raised £640 for Wales Air Ambulance by hiking up the tallest peak in South Wales on Father's Day, as a tribute to her dad after he passed away from a brain bleed in January. Her father Karl, better known to friends and family as Benny, had the brain bleed at home but was taken by Wales Air Ambulance to the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff, but despite the best efforts of medics he passed away three days later. In tribute to her father, Edee wanted to raise funds for the charity that helped get him to hospital and set herself the challenge of hiking Pen y Fan, supported on the day by friends and family to go above her fundraising target of £600. Edee's sister Georgie O'Hagan said: 'It was a fantastic day, none of us trained so it was a bit ruthless at times. But we were doing it in memory of Edee's dad and for the Wales Air Ambulance, which is a vital service, so it made it worthwhile. 'We're very proud of Edee, it was an emotional day and emotions were high, especially with it being on Father's Day. Benny's death is still very raw, but the fundraiser helped us all come together and we're very proud.' Benny was remembered as a caring man who continued to help people even after he passed away, with organ donations saving the lives of three people who spent years on the transplant waiting list. Hannah Bartlett, Individual Giving Manager for the Wales Air Ambulance, added: 'Congratulations to Edee for hiking Pen y Fan in memory of her father, Benny. What a lovely way to honour his memory. At just 13-years-old Edee has shown so much strength to want to raise funds for our charity just months after losing her father. 'Thank you to Edee for raising an incredible amount of money for the Wales Air Ambulance. Your support will help us to continue to be there for the people of Wales when they need us the most. We appreciate your support and we're sure your dad would be very proud of you. 'Thank you to everyone who supported Edee on the day and donated to her fundraiser.'
Leader Live
3 days ago
- Leader Live
Denbighshire woman raises thousands for Air Ambulance
Joanna Lightfoot, 48, from Llanarmon-yn-Iâl, completed the West Highland Way in memory of her husband Jim, who died 14 years ago from a heart attack while at work. She raised £2,445 for the charity that attended the scene on the day Jim died. Mrs Lightfoot said: "Sadly, they could not save Jim, but I know the Wales Air Ambulance did everything they possibly could. "For this reason, I decided to walk in memory of Jim and use this opportunity to fundraise for this wonderful charity." She took on the 96-mile trek through the Scottish Highlands alongside friends from her gym, covering around 20 miles each day. The walk began on the anniversary of her husband's death. Mrs Lightfoot said: "Emotions on the first day were mixed. "I was nervous and anxious as to whether I would manage it or not. "Day one was also the 14-year anniversary of Jim's death, so he was very much at the forefront of my mind, spurring me on with every step." She described the challenge as physically and emotionally demanding, particularly on day two when the group faced more than 20 miles of difficult terrain. Mrs Lightfoot said: "We finally made it to our accommodation at 10.45pm and had to be up and out again at 7am the next morning. "When I completed the walk on day five, I cried many happy tears. "I was overwhelmed with emotion." Joanna Lightfoot (Image: Supplied) Her husband Jim ran his own garage repairing mainly HGVs, and 'adored' their daughter Jodie, who was just five years old when he died. Wales Air Ambulance requires £11.2 million each year to operate its helicopters and rapid response vehicles across the country. The service is consultant-led and delivers advanced critical care at the scene, including anaesthesia, blood transfusions, and minor surgical procedures. Debra Sima, regional fundraising manager for Wales Air Ambulance, said: "It is always heartwarming to hear of families that fundraise for the Wales Air Ambulance after losing a loved one. "Sadly, Jim unfortunately could not be saved following his heart attack. "Joanna set herself the huge challenge of walking the Scottish West Highland Way over five days. "She did that with the support of her friends and raised an amazing amount for the Wales Air Ambulance. "We're extremely grateful for your support and it was a lovely way to remember Jim 14 years on." Mrs Lightfoot, who works in accounts for a construction company, said she was 'delighted' to raise funds for the charity and thanked everyone who donated in her husband's memory.
