History
Construction of the first phase of the new hospital began in 1972 and it was officially opened in 1978.[1] Services were transferred from Merthyr General Hospital in 1986, and once a second phase of the Prince Charles Hospital had been completed in 1991, services also transferred from Buckland Hospital.[2]
A new Emergency Care Centre opened in 2012[3] and the complete refurbishment of the whole hospital was approved by the Welsh Government in October 2013.[4]
As part of a £6m revamp, a new state-of-the-art maternity unit was unveiled at the hospital in 2019.[5]
A hospital helipad was installed in 2017 at the cost of £700,000 and intended to be used for emergency night-time takeoffs and landings by rescue helicopters. In 2019 it had yet to be used because of a lack of adequate fencing and lights, which has raised safety concerns.[6]
The hospital's maternity services were put into special measures in 2019 after concerns were raised about the treatment of mothers and their babies.[7] There were also concerns about the standard of care affording to a cancer patient who died in the hospital.[8]
