Latest news with #HywelDdaUniversityHealthBoard
Pembrokeshire Herald
a day ago
- Health
- Pembrokeshire Herald
Nine services under review as Health Board seeks public views ahead of major shake-up
A MAJOR consultation on the future of NHS clinical services in Pembrokeshire has been launched by Hywel Dda University Health Board, with residents being urged to have their say before proposals are finalised later this year. The wide-reaching consultation, announced on Thursday (May 29), focuses on nine hospital-based services across west Wales: critical care, dermatology, emergency general surgery, endoscopy, ophthalmology, orthopaedics, radiology, stroke, and urology. The board says the review is essential to tackle what it calls 'service fragilities,' reduce waiting times, and improve standards across the region's health services. But the consultation could lead to significant changes in how and where care is delivered—raising concerns among some patients and campaigners in Pembrokeshire about future access to treatment. No changes to emergency departments or minor injury units are being proposed as part of this review. A separate consultation is ongoing regarding minor injuries care at Prince Philip Hospital in Llanelli. Public drop-in events have been scheduled across the region, with two key sessions in Pembrokeshire: one at HaverHub, Haverfordwest on Thursday 27 June (2:00pm–7:00pm) and another at Pater Hall, Pembroke Dock on Wednesday 10 July (3:00pm–6:00pm). A further event will take place at Tenby Leisure Centre on 4 July. Medical Director Mr Mark Henwood said the consultation is an important opportunity for residents to help shape the future of healthcare delivery in the county and beyond. 'No decisions have been made on the options presented, and there are currently no preferred solutions,' Mr Henwood said. 'We want to hear from staff, patients and the wider public about what they believe is the best way to secure safe, high-quality and affordable care for the people of west Wales.' 'We are especially keen to hear about any concerns, potential impacts, or alternative ideas that people may have. Your insights will help us make informed decisions that put patients' needs first.' The consultation will run until Saturday 31 August 2025. Feedback can be submitted via an online questionnaire, or by attending in-person or virtual engagement events. Full details, including the consultation documents and summaries of each proposed option, are available on the health board's website at: The Health Board says it will review all responses, as well as supporting evidence and clinical data, before any decisions are taken at a board meeting expected to take place in November 2025. The services under consultation are all areas facing significant pressure, long waiting times, or staffing challenges. The board's aim is to ensure long-term sustainability and equitable access—but the public's role in shaping that vision is, it says, vital. Public consultation events in Pembrokeshire: 27 June 2025 – HaverHub, Haverfordwest, SA61 1BG, 2:00pm–7:00pm – HaverHub, Haverfordwest, SA61 1BG, 2:00pm–7:00pm 4 July 2025 – Tenby Leisure Centre, SA70 8DU, 2:00pm–7:00pm – Tenby Leisure Centre, SA70 8DU, 2:00pm–7:00pm 10 July 2025 – Pater Hall, Pembroke Dock, SA72 6DD, 3:00pm–6:00pm
Pembrokeshire Herald
a day ago
- Health
- Pembrokeshire Herald
Concern grows over future of Withybush Hospital as services face review
Prince Philip Hospital whistleblower warns of regional impact as Glangwili faces ICU overflow A SPECIALIST nurse has spoken out as critical care services at Prince Philip Hospital in Llanelli are quietly scaled back ahead of a public consultation — with direct implications for Pembrokeshire patients who rely on Glangwili Hospital for intensive care. Hywel Dda University Health Board is preparing to launch a consultation on its Clinical Services Plan, which includes a proposal to formally downgrade the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at Prince Philip Hospital and replace it with an Enhanced Care Unit (ECU). However, the transition has already begun. The Herald understands that ICU staff are being reassigned, and patients requiring high-level intensive care are being routinely transferred to Glangwili Hospital in Carmarthen — nearly 24 miles away — despite no final decision having been made. One senior nurse at the hospital told The Herald: 'Staff are being moved off the unit. There are people who need ICU beds but have to wait, as there are none now here. Everyone who needs one has to be transferred to Glangwili.' The ICU at Glangwili is under significant pressure (Image: File) She continued: 'They could have bleeds, they are not stable. Not only that, but if they need to be transferred between hospitals, that is done by a specialist NHS service based in Cardiff – the Adult Critical Care Transfer Service (ACCTS), part of EMRTS Cymru. We call them ACCTS. When we sign the paperwork, we can see the Health Board is paying around £6,000 per patient for each transfer. The transport is carried out in a specialist ambulance, including an anaesthetist, doctor, and critical care team, to ensure patient stability during transfer. It's not cheap.' The nurse also claimed that there are enough skilled staff locally to continue providing intensive care, but the team is being broken up. 'We are a specialised team, and we are being dispersed. The people of Llanelli are being put at risk. For what? To save money.' She said patients from Llanelli were now overwhelming beds in Carmarthen, leaving Glangwili Hospital with little capacity for new cases. 'Everyone now down at Glangwili are people with Llanelli area postcodes. They should be being treated here near their family, loved ones. And now down in Carmarthen they are chocker – no room to accept new patients, which is going to impact on patients further west into Pembrokeshire.' This concern is echoed in Pembrokeshire, where Withybush General Hospital still technically retains seven ICU beds. However, ongoing staff shortages and the discovery of unsafe RAAC concrete have meant that many patients requiring critical care from Pembrokeshire are already being transferred to Glangwili. Now, with Llanelli patients added to the demand, access to critical care is under further pressure across the region. Costly specialist ambulances from Cardiff are used to transport ICU patients between Llanelli and Carmarthen hospitals (Image: NHS) Hywel Dda University Health Board is expected to launch a 12-week public consultation on its Clinical Services Plan this week, with options that could lead to permanent reconfiguration of hospital services across Carmarthenshire, Pembrokeshire, and Ceredigion. However, documents seen by The Herald confirm that changes such as the ICU downgrade may proceed before consultation results are finalised. Appendix 7.55 of the Clinical Services Plan states: 'We recognise that the need to respond to service fragility may mean some service change and investment decisions are required ahead of any final reconfiguration, and these will be developed with service, operational and executive leadership.' Another section of the Plan notes: 'Due to the nature of service provision across Mid and West Wales, it is recognised that a wide range of services have some fragilities. This was a key driver behind the development of the Health Board's strategy which seeks to reduce, if not eliminate, the risks to sustainable service provision.' Hywel Dda University Health Board's Medical Director: Mark Henwood (Image: HDUHB) Commenting directly, Hywel Dda University Health Board's Medical Director, Mark Henwood, said: 'There has been a temporary change in place for critical care services at Prince Philip Hospital since July 2022. This was approved by the Board because of an inability to safely staff two critical care units with Consultant staff in Carmarthenshire providing care to the most unwell patients. This has meant that the sickest patients have been stabilised and transferred mostly to the Critical Care Unit at Glangwili Hospital. 'The temporary change was needed to improve our ability to safely deliver our critical care services in Carmarthenshire with the staffing available. 'We launched our Clinical Services Plan consultation at our Board Meeting today and Critical Care is one of the services which we will be looking at. 'In the consultation, options A and B propose having fewer intensive care units, and Option C proposes maintaining the current temporary arrangement at Prince Philip Hospital, where the sickest patients are transferred to Glangwili intensive care unit. 'In all options, bringing specialist critical care consultants together onto fewer sites would make the service more sustainable, improve safety, and help meet quality standards for our patients.' However, critics argue that the Health Board's response amounts to a technocratic justification that fails to meaningfully address community impact, consultation integrity, or patient safety. Lee Waters MS: 'You can't run a consultation while services are being stripped away' Lee Waters MS: The people of Llanelli deserve proper, local access to intensive care Commenting, Llanelli's Member of the Senedd, Lee Waters, told The Herald: 'It looks very much like decisions about critical care at Prince Philip Hospital are being made before the public's had a real say—just like we saw with the overnight closure of the Minor Injuries Unit. That's not how you build trust. The people of Llanelli deserve proper, local access to intensive care, and I'm not convinced the Health Board has a credible plan to deliver that. I've always tried to be reasonable about change, but in this case the case simply hasn't been made. You can't run a meaningful consultation while services are being quietly stripped away.' Dame Nia Griffith MP: 'This erosion of services by the backdoor has got to stop' Commenting, Llanelli's MP, Dame Nia Griffith, said: 'I am extremely concerned to hear reports of intensive care services at Prince Philip Hospital being scaled back, because people in Llanelli should be able to access this care here, and not see loved ones taken all the way to Glangwili for services that have hitherto been provided in Llanelli. 'Moreover, the fact that this is happening without there having been any consultation, or even any mention of this, completely undermines trust in the Health Board. I will be seeking an urgent meeting with Hywel Dda health board bosses to seek clarification, and make it absolutely clear to them that they must recognise the need for these services in Llanelli and design their staffing model accordingly, with full teams of appropriately qualified staff based here. 'Everyone knows that they are already struggling for space in Glangwili so it makes no sense to be sending more Llanelli patients up there, and on top of that, there is the cost of transporting patients, the discomfort for the patients and the anxiety and inconvenience for the family. This erosion of services by the backdoor has got to stop.' Welsh Conservatives: 'Declare a health emergency' Commenting, a Welsh Conservative spokesperson said: 'The downgrading of ICU services at Prince Philip Hospital before public consultation is unacceptable and undermines trust in the health system. 'The Welsh NHS is in crisis under Labour, with over 10,000 patients waiting more than 12 hours in A&E and two-year waits still unacceptably high, the Welsh Labour Government continues to fail our communities. 'The Welsh Conservatives would declare a health emergency, directing the resources and the entire apparatus of government at the health service, ensuring timely access to care and restoring faith in our Welsh NHS.' Sam Kurtz, Senedd Member for Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire added: 'If any decisions are taken before the consultation has concluded, then both the Health Board and the Welsh Labour Government must be prepared to justify them to a deeply concerned public. 'Recruitment has long been a challenge, one that has only worsened under the shadow cast by ongoing uncertainty over the future of healthcare in West Wales. 'That uncertainty stems from the Welsh Labour Government's continued drive to centralise services, often to the detriment of rural communities.' Kurtz added: 'Access to critical healthcare should never be a postcode lottery.' Campaigners: 'Not acceptable – and a shock' Shocked: Hospital campaigner Cllr Deryk Cundy was not consulted, he said (Image: BBC) Chair of the SOSPPAN campaign group, Councillor Deryk Cundy, told The Herald that they had raised concerns with Hywel Dda over 'rumours from a separate source' suggesting changes to intensive care were already under way — before any formal decision by the Health Board. 'We have not been directly contacted about these changes,' he said. 'SOSPPAN has been working closely with Hywel Dda trying to find a way forward — recommending a merger of the Minor Injuries Unit and Same Day Emergency Care, operating 16 hours per day, with increased mental health cover available in Llanelli 24/7.' He said that when combined with the existing 24-hour Acute Medical Assessment Unit, this could improve service delivery in Llanelli and reduce pressure on Glangwili Hospital. However, he described the ICU downgrade as 'a shock' and 'not acceptable'. 'For too long, Hywel Dda management have said departments are unsafe and instead of making them safe, they shut them down — only to reopen them 20 miles away. We will be asking for an early meeting with the Health Board, and if these proposals are confirmed, we will express our determination to prevent any further reductions in service at Prince Philip Hospital.'
Pembrokeshire Herald
2 days ago
- Health
- Pembrokeshire Herald
‘The Most Valuable Portrait' unveiled to honour Britain's unpaid carers
Prince Philip Hospital whistleblower warns of regional impact as Glangwili faces ICU overflow A SPECIALIST nurse has spoken out as critical care services at Prince Philip Hospital in Llanelli are quietly scaled back ahead of a public consultation — with direct implications for Pembrokeshire patients who rely on Glangwili Hospital for intensive care. Hywel Dda University Health Board is preparing to launch a consultation on its Clinical Services Plan, which includes a proposal to formally downgrade the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at Prince Philip Hospital and replace it with an Enhanced Care Unit (ECU). However, the transition has already begun. The Herald understands that ICU staff are being reassigned, and patients requiring high-level intensive care are being routinely transferred to Glangwili Hospital in Carmarthen — nearly 24 miles away — despite no final decision having been made. One senior nurse at the hospital told The Herald: 'Staff are being moved off the unit. There are people who need ICU beds but have to wait, as there are none now here. Everyone who needs one has to be transferred to Glangwili.' The ICU at Glangwili is under significant pressure (Image: File) She continued: 'They could have bleeds, they are not stable. Not only that, but if they need to be transferred between hospitals, that is done by a specialist NHS service based in Cardiff – the Adult Critical Care Transfer Service (ACCTS), part of EMRTS Cymru. We call them ACCTS. When we sign the paperwork, we can see the Health Board is paying around £6,000 per patient for each transfer. The transport is carried out in a specialist ambulance, including an anaesthetist, doctor, and critical care team, to ensure patient stability during transfer. It's not cheap.' The nurse also claimed that there are enough skilled staff locally to continue providing intensive care, but the team is being broken up. 'We are a specialised team, and we are being dispersed. The people of Llanelli are being put at risk. For what? To save money.' She said patients from Llanelli were now overwhelming beds in Carmarthen, leaving Glangwili Hospital with little capacity for new cases. 'Everyone now down at Glangwili are people with Llanelli area postcodes. They should be being treated here near their family, loved ones. And now down in Carmarthen they are chocker – no room to accept new patients, which is going to impact on patients further west into Pembrokeshire.' This concern is echoed in Pembrokeshire, where Withybush General Hospital still technically retains seven ICU beds. However, ongoing staff shortages and the discovery of unsafe RAAC concrete have meant that many patients requiring critical care from Pembrokeshire are already being transferred to Glangwili. Now, with Llanelli patients added to the demand, access to critical care is under further pressure across the region. Costly specialist ambulances from Cardiff are used to transport ICU patients between Llanelli and Carmarthen hospitals (Image: NHS) Hywel Dda University Health Board is expected to launch a 12-week public consultation on its Clinical Services Plan this week, with options that could lead to permanent reconfiguration of hospital services across Carmarthenshire, Pembrokeshire, and Ceredigion. However, documents seen by The Herald confirm that changes such as the ICU downgrade may proceed before consultation results are finalised. Appendix 7.55 of the Clinical Services Plan states: 'We recognise that the need to respond to service fragility may mean some service change and investment decisions are required ahead of any final reconfiguration, and these will be developed with service, operational and executive leadership.' Another section of the Plan notes: 'Due to the nature of service provision across Mid and West Wales, it is recognised that a wide range of services have some fragilities. This was a key driver behind the development of the Health Board's strategy which seeks to reduce, if not eliminate, the risks to sustainable service provision.' Hywel Dda University Health Board's Medical Director: Mark Henwood (Image: HDUHB) Commenting directly, Hywel Dda University Health Board's Medical Director, Mark Henwood, said: 'There has been a temporary change in place for critical care services at Prince Philip Hospital since July 2022. This was approved by the Board because of an inability to safely staff two critical care units with Consultant staff in Carmarthenshire providing care to the most unwell patients. This has meant that the sickest patients have been stabilised and transferred mostly to the Critical Care Unit at Glangwili Hospital. 'The temporary change was needed to improve our ability to safely deliver our critical care services in Carmarthenshire with the staffing available. 'We launched our Clinical Services Plan consultation at our Board Meeting today and Critical Care is one of the services which we will be looking at. 'In the consultation, options A and B propose having fewer intensive care units, and Option C proposes maintaining the current temporary arrangement at Prince Philip Hospital, where the sickest patients are transferred to Glangwili intensive care unit. 'In all options, bringing specialist critical care consultants together onto fewer sites would make the service more sustainable, improve safety, and help meet quality standards for our patients.' However, critics argue that the Health Board's response amounts to a technocratic justification that fails to meaningfully address community impact, consultation integrity, or patient safety. Lee Waters MS: 'You can't run a consultation while services are being stripped away' Lee Waters MS: The people of Llanelli deserve proper, local access to intensive care Commenting, Llanelli's Member of the Senedd, Lee Waters, told The Herald: 'It looks very much like decisions about critical care at Prince Philip Hospital are being made before the public's had a real say—just like we saw with the overnight closure of the Minor Injuries Unit. That's not how you build trust. The people of Llanelli deserve proper, local access to intensive care, and I'm not convinced the Health Board has a credible plan to deliver that. I've always tried to be reasonable about change, but in this case the case simply hasn't been made. You can't run a meaningful consultation while services are being quietly stripped away.' Dame Nia Griffith MP: 'This erosion of services by the backdoor has got to stop' Commenting, Llanelli's MP, Dame Nia Griffith, said: 'I am extremely concerned to hear reports of intensive care services at Prince Philip Hospital being scaled back, because people in Llanelli should be able to access this care here, and not see loved ones taken all the way to Glangwili for services that have hitherto been provided in Llanelli. 'Moreover, the fact that this is happening without there having been any consultation, or even any mention of this, completely undermines trust in the Health Board. I will be seeking an urgent meeting with Hywel Dda health board bosses to seek clarification, and make it absolutely clear to them that they must recognise the need for these services in Llanelli and design their staffing model accordingly, with full teams of appropriately qualified staff based here. 'Everyone knows that they are already struggling for space in Glangwili so it makes no sense to be sending more Llanelli patients up there, and on top of that, there is the cost of transporting patients, the discomfort for the patients and the anxiety and inconvenience for the family. This erosion of services by the backdoor has got to stop.' Welsh Conservatives: 'Declare a health emergency' Commenting, a Welsh Conservative spokesperson said: 'The downgrading of ICU services at Prince Philip Hospital before public consultation is unacceptable and undermines trust in the health system. 'The Welsh NHS is in crisis under Labour, with over 10,000 patients waiting more than 12 hours in A&E and two-year waits still unacceptably high, the Welsh Labour Government continues to fail our communities. 'The Welsh Conservatives would declare a health emergency, directing the resources and the entire apparatus of government at the health service, ensuring timely access to care and restoring faith in our Welsh NHS.' Sam Kurtz, Senedd Member for Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire added: 'If any decisions are taken before the consultation has concluded, then both the Health Board and the Welsh Labour Government must be prepared to justify them to a deeply concerned public. 'Recruitment has long been a challenge, one that has only worsened under the shadow cast by ongoing uncertainty over the future of healthcare in West Wales. 'That uncertainty stems from the Welsh Labour Government's continued drive to centralise services, often to the detriment of rural communities.' Kurtz added: 'Access to critical healthcare should never be a postcode lottery.' Campaigners: 'Not acceptable – and a shock' Shocked: Hospital campaigner Cllr Deryk Cundy was not consulted, he said (Image: BBC) Chair of the SOSPPAN campaign group, Councillor Deryk Cundy, told The Herald that they had raised concerns with Hywel Dda over 'rumours from a separate source' suggesting changes to intensive care were already under way — before any formal decision by the Health Board. 'We have not been directly contacted about these changes,' he said. 'SOSPPAN has been working closely with Hywel Dda trying to find a way forward — recommending a merger of the Minor Injuries Unit and Same Day Emergency Care, operating 16 hours per day, with increased mental health cover available in Llanelli 24/7.' He said that when combined with the existing 24-hour Acute Medical Assessment Unit, this could improve service delivery in Llanelli and reduce pressure on Glangwili Hospital. However, he described the ICU downgrade as 'a shock' and 'not acceptable'. 'For too long, Hywel Dda management have said departments are unsafe and instead of making them safe, they shut them down — only to reopen them 20 miles away. We will be asking for an early meeting with the Health Board, and if these proposals are confirmed, we will express our determination to prevent any further reductions in service at Prince Philip Hospital.'
Western Telegraph
3 days ago
- Health
- Western Telegraph
New member appointed to Hywel Dda University Health Board
Sarah Harraway will be an independent board member, taking over from Delyth Raynsford. Over the last eight years, Ms Raynsford helped the health board make decisions in the best interests of west Wales' residents. Dr Neil Wooding, chair of Hywel Dda University Health Board, said: "We are deeply grateful to Delyth for her eight years of service. "Her wisdom, integrity, and unwavering commitment to the communities of west Wales have left a lasting legacy. "As we welcome Sarah, we also pause to value the strong foundation Delyth built. "We are thrilled to have Sarah join us as an independent member. "Her unique blend of strategic insight, creative thinking, and deep commitment to community engagement will be invaluable as we continue to evolve our services. "I'm very much looking forward to working with her and seeing the positive impact she will bring." Ms Harraway brings a range of experience from across the marketing, photography and NHS sectors. She began her career at Thomson Directories, and began working with the NHS a decade ago. Facing roles such as programme manager at one of NHS England's pioneering vanguard sites, heading outpatient and informatics change programmes, and evaluating healthcare innovations at the Wessex Health Science Network, she has shown her dedication to system redesign and change management. Now based in Ceredigion with her family, Ms Harraway is an active member of her local community and is also learning Welsh. Speaking about her appointment, Ms Harraway said: "I'm very excited to take a break from early retirement to rejoin the NHS – especially so at a time when Hywel Dda is in such an exciting phase of change and development. "I'm passionate about bringing communities into the healthcare ecosystem to ensure that services are truly patient-centric. "I look forward to listening, learning, and contributing to the Board's important work."
South Wales Guardian
3 days ago
- Health
- South Wales Guardian
New member appointed to Hywel Dda University Health Board
Sarah Harraway will be an independent board member, taking over from Delyth Raynsford. Over the last eight years, Ms Raynsford helped the health board make decisions in the best interests of west Wales' residents. Dr Neil Wooding, chair of Hywel Dda University Health Board, said: "We are deeply grateful to Delyth for her eight years of service. "Her wisdom, integrity, and unwavering commitment to the communities of west Wales have left a lasting legacy. "As we welcome Sarah, we also pause to value the strong foundation Delyth built. "We are thrilled to have Sarah join us as an independent member. "Her unique blend of strategic insight, creative thinking, and deep commitment to community engagement will be invaluable as we continue to evolve our services. "I'm very much looking forward to working with her and seeing the positive impact she will bring." Ms Harraway brings a range of experience from across the marketing, photography and NHS sectors. She began her career at Thomson Directories, and began working with the NHS a decade ago. Facing roles such as programme manager at one of NHS England's pioneering vanguard sites, heading outpatient and informatics change programmes, and evaluating healthcare innovations at the Wessex Health Science Network, she has shown her dedication to system redesign and change management. Now based in Ceredigion with her family, Ms Harraway is an active member of her local community and is also learning Welsh. Speaking about her appointment, Ms Harraway said: "I'm very excited to take a break from early retirement to rejoin the NHS – especially so at a time when Hywel Dda is in such an exciting phase of change and development. "I'm passionate about bringing communities into the healthcare ecosystem to ensure that services are truly patient-centric. "I look forward to listening, learning, and contributing to the Board's important work."
