26/08/2016 BBC Wales Today

Welcome to the programme.

Tonight's headlines, too full and seriously understaffed -

the findings of a report into hospital departments treating

critically ill patients.

And the RNLI warns of the dangers of the Welsh coast.

One man who saw his best friends drown at sea, urges

people to stay safe.

Good evening.

Hospital departments in Wales, responsible for treating the most

seriously ill patients, are too full and

seriously understaffed.

That's according to a Welsh Government report that says

front-line staff are experiencing stress and uncertainty.

Tonight, it warns that Health Boards need to tackle

the problems urgently.

Here's our Health Correspondent, Owain Clarke.

If you are gravely ill, have had a serious accident or big

operation it is likely you will be cared for here.

Critical care units treat 9.500 patients a year in Wales.

But according to the Welsh Governmemt's own assessment they

appear to be struggling to cope.

In January last year, they were working beyond maximum

capacity, treating more patients than they should have had room for,

with 107% bed occupancy.

According to guidelines, they shouldn't be more

than 70% file.

If intensive care is chock-a-block even emergency operations

have to be postponed.

The report highlights significant staff shortages with only half Welsh

units have enough consultants.

And just one in five is covered by junior staff.

When we get overfill critical care beds and the units are struggling

to deal with not only emergencies, but elective work, we find very

major elective surgery gets deferred by days or weeks.

This, obviously, is distressing for patients.

Two thirds of all critical care patients, 4,000 in total

spent too long last year, according to their broad,

waiting to be discharged, often because hospital

wards were full.

That is a problem considering Wales has fewer critical care

beds than almost all of the rest of Europe.

Germany is way ahead, with almost 30 beds per 100,000 population.

The Welsh NHS has just under six.

Only Sweden and Portugal have fewer.

But the report does say some excellent work is happening

with survival rates increasing and hospital infection rates amongst

seriously ill patients going down.

Even so, the Welsh government says health boards must work together

quickly to sort things out.

Opposition parties are scathing.

We know what we need.

We need more doctors and nurses.

We need a workforce plan in place that fulfils the needs of Welsh NHS

now and into the future.

Until this current government admits that there is a problem on that

scale, as shown in this report, it is not going to be resolved.

The picture is clear, the department in our hospitals

responsible for caring for the most critically ill are themselves facing

a critical amount of pressure.

This Bank Holiday weekend the RNLI is putting extra teams

along the Welsh coast.

It follows a number of deaths across the UK, including three

in Wales in the past month.

And tonight the best friend of two men who drowned off Anglesey five

years ago has urged people to be careful.

From Rhyl, here's Matthew Richards.

Rhyl's all-weather lifeboat and the smaller inshore vessel

are primed and ready for a busy bank holiday.

Extra teams will be drafted in across Wales, the crews say

they have been working hard throughout August, with most rescues

involving inflatables blown off course, or people cut off

by incoming tides.

It's quite a chop out here, and if anyone is swimming,

or has an inflatable, getting swept out to sea is quite immense.

What we say as well is that people stay with the inflatables,

don't jump out.

That's very important.

And the other message is, please, don't go

in after other people.

Today, fortunately, was just a training exercise.

Fred, the dummy, was in the water and the crews were practising

rescuing him from the waves.

But any day now, it could be the real thing.

In the past month alone, there have been three deaths among

the Welsh coastline.

In Barmouth, two teenage boys died and a 23-year-old man was swept out

to sea was swept out to sea in Mwnt, off the Ceredigion coast.

Lawrence Cuthbertson knows the impact tragedies

like these can have.

Five years ago, he went fishing off the Anglesey coast

with his best friends.

They got into difficulties in the sea and drowned.

Lewis and Calum were 22 years old, and had just graduated.

Things can get out of hand very quickly.

Especially when you're young and having a great time.

You feel invincible.

I can't have enough sympathy for any family that goes

through something like this.

The...

It has a lasting effect that you can't measure.

Last year the RNLI's lifeboats were lodged over

1,000 times in Wales, rescuing the same number of people.

Experts say people often misunderstand the strength

of the sea, and rip currents, fast moving channels

of water, catch people out.

The key thing is, don't fight the rip current, it will win.

It is stronger than you can possibly swim.

Try and attract the attention of other people around you.

This weekend, Rhyl beeach will be closed for the annual airshow,

but Martin Jones and his crew will be poised to race to the rescue

across the North Wales coast.

Mid and West Wales Fire Service say a blaze which badly damaged three

warehouses on the Darcy business park near Neath is ongoing this

evening, although it is much smaller.

Around 50 firefighters brought the blaze under

control this afternoon but four companies have lost supplies.

Two appliances will remain on the site overnight.

South Yorkshire Police say they will "carefully

consider" releasing the files of their investigation

into the death of Swansea football fan Terry Coles,

following a request from his family.

Mr Coles was trampled by a police horse outside Rotherham United's

ground sixteen years ago.

An inquest found his death was an accident, a decision

which was accepted by his family.

But they're now calling for evidence to be disclosed and 'fresh eyes'

to look at the case.

1,000 apple trees will be planted in the Pembrokeshire village

of St Dogmaels after the local history society received almost

a quarter of ?1 million to plant a community orchard.

The money, from the Big Lottery Fund will provide training opportunities

and it's hoped the apples will eventually be

turned into cider.

The monks came over from Normandy in France,

and they brought their own variety of apple trees from

the region in France.

And those trees went native, so we still have examples of those

trees in the gardens of St Dogmaels.

And those are the trees, the varieties of apples

that we are going to focus on within this project.

In football, Swansea City have agreed an undisclosed fee

with Barnsley for their central defender Alfie Mawson,

subject to the 22-year-old agreeing personal terms.

Manager Francesco Guidolin has been looking for a defender since captain

Ashley Williams' move to Everton.

Cricket and it was an exciting finish in Glamorgan's Championship

match at home to Sussex.

The visitors reached their target late this evening to win

the match on the final day.

They only had two wickets remaining.

Let's take a look at the bank holiday weather forecast now.

Here's Derek.

If you've got any outdoor plans for the bank holiday weekend,

there will be some fine, warm weather and sunshine but there

is a fly in the ointment as well, some rain and showers expected,

although saying that, Pembrokeshire they stay mostly dry.

Dry across the whole country tonight.

The sky clear and that means it will turn quite cool,

especially in the countryside, with a little mist by dawn.

Tomorrow morning, dry, bright in Mid, North

and West Wales, hazy sunshine.

Cloudy though in the south-east, maybe the odd light

shower near Chepstow.

Across the rest of the UK, a warm front lying through southern

Across the rest of the UK, a warm front lying through southern

England will generate some rain and showers which could be heavy

and thundery in places.

Moving slowly northwards during the day.

Elsewhere, dry, sunny spells, a few showers in Scotland

and turning very warm and humid again in south-east England.

27 in London.

Cloud increasing across Wales tomorrow afternoon.

Maybe a few showers turning up.

Although there is a good chance that the North and west

will stay dry.

Temperatures on the warm side with light winds.

Tomorrow evening and overnight, showers will become more

widespread, some heavy rain is possible in the north.

Drier in the south-west, bar a few showers.

On Sunday, scattered showers, heavy in places.

Some dry, bright spells as well.

The best of the sunshine in the north and West

later in the afternoon.

Now, bank holiday Monday doesn't look too bad actually.

Mostly dry and settled.

Some patchy cloud, sunny spells and pleasantly warm with a light

to moderate breeze.

So, not completely dry this bank holiday weekend but some fine

and warm sunshine to enjoy as well.

That is all from me.

Have a great weekend.

Mwynhewch y penwythnos.

And I'll see you next week.

That's Wales Today.

From all of us on the late team, good night.

It's Biscuit Week.

It's Biscuit Week.

Must try not to drop them.

It's going to be messy.

First batch in...