The A&E departments were  both downgraded to minor injury units when The Grange, Cwmbran opened in November 2020.  This A&E now deals with all the emergencies that these two hospitals had previously dealt with, so this means that they have taken on not only all the patients in the Gwent area, but those from Monmouthshire and also as far as Brecon, Dyfed Powys.  This has caused horrendous wait times in the A&E department,  lack of bed availability with people having to spend the whole time in a chair, which is totally unacceptable.  There is just to much unjustifiable pressure on The Grange's Emergency department,  and on the hospital as a whole. The staff are all absolutely fantastic,  but I saw with my on eyes that morale is low as they are constantly fighting an uphill battle.  The decision to close the A&Es at The Royal Gwent and Nevill Hall need to be reversed ASAP.   The decision was made by the Welsh Assembly Government,  and it has backfired on them. If my petition does not work, I will lobby my local MP, and if that doesn't work, I will write to the Welsh Health Secretary and invite her to visit The Grange to see for herself the upheaval -and quite frankly the danger to the patients - her Government has caused