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This August, we鈥檙e proudly supporting Public Health Wales with a targeted health care initiative in Ebbw Vale to deliver accessible AAA screening to the local community at Blaenau Gwent Learning Zone.

As a further education college which trains the next generation of health care workers, we worked closely with the local to support them during the COVID 19 pandemic, enabling learners to gain valuable experience on the frontline at the same time. Now, this new partnership between Public Health Wales and Coleg Gwent will enable Public Health Wales to catch up with their screening programme in the local community, benefitting residents in the Blaenau Gwent region.

Faculty Director for Care and Community Studies, Gary Handley, said; 鈥淲e鈥檙e really pleased to support our local NHS and Public Health Wales in this way. Throughout the pandemic we鈥檝e worked very closely with Aneurin Bevan University Health Board and this is another opportunity for us to both support a local community in which we鈥檙e based, but also to raise awareness of general health matters with learners; many of whom are on health care courses. In particular, we want to provide support in any way we can to help ease the backlog in preventative early diagnosis that has come about due to the impact of Covid-19 on our 鈥榥ormal鈥� health care provision.鈥�

The Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA) Screening Programme offered to 65-year-old men living in Wales has been impacted by the COVID 19 pandemic, and there鈥檚 a backlog of men waiting to be offered appointments and a reduction in clinic space available in the local area. So, to help Public Health Wales with their mission to screen men aged 65 and over, we offered them our premises at Blaenau Gwent Learning Zone in Ebbw Vale as a base for the screening service.

This initiative has been made possible thanks to the staff at Blaenau Gwent Learning Zone in Ebbw Vale, who have kindly offered rooms to run screening clinics at their venue. Public Health Wales will be operating at the campus four days a week in August to offer an additional 350 appointments to men in the local area. The public are advised not to attend unless invited to do so. The AAA screening service at Blaenau Gwent Learning Zone is currently by invitation only between August 2^nd-23^rd, for men aged 65 in Ebbw Vale, Brynmawr, Abertillery and surrounding areas. Invitations will be sent to men who are now 66 years old who weren鈥檛 invited in their 65th year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Men cannot turn up on the day and request a scan; however, those over the age of 65 who have never attended for this test can self-refer by calling 01443 235161.

Find out more about how we鈥檝e worked with the local health board and the experiences you could have as a health and care student at Coleg Gwent. It鈥檚 not too late to join us in September.