News

Health board statement on ’20-year journey’ in full

Published

8 years ago

September 26, 2018

THIS is the full statement from Chief Executive Steve Moore of Hywel Dda University Health Board following the extraordinary meeting on Wednesday (Sept 26) at County Hall, Carmarthen:

HEALTH BOARD STATEMENT

Hywel Dda University Health Board will embark on an ambitious 20-year journey to transform the way we receive health care and support in Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Pembrokeshire and borders, it was decided at a public board meeting.

Twelve recommendations from clinicians (doctors, nurses and a range of healthcare professionals such as health scientists and therapists) were approved and can be read in full here https://bit.ly/2NJxft5.

Headline decisions included:

more investment will be made in the integration of social care with health and well-being across the seven localities (north and south Ceredigion, north and south Pembrokeshire, Taf/Tywi, Amman/Gwendraeth and Llanelli)
a hospital model, will be adopted and includes:
- a business case to be made for a new hospital in the south of Hywel Dda (somewhere between Narberth and St Clears) to provide specialist urgent and emergency care services and planned care
- hospital services to be retained and developed at Bronglais Hospital, Aberystwyth, in-line with the Mid Wales Joint Health & Social Care Committee recognising importance of hospital in delivery of services to populations of Ceredigion, Powys and South Gwynedd
- acute medicine (hospital services that need medical input) to be retained at Prince Philip Hospital, Llanelli, following recent modernisation of services developed with the local community and serving a densely populated area
- re-purposing Glangwili (Carmarthen) and Withybush (Haverfordwest) hospitals to support community health needs including overnight beds, day case procedures, out-patient and walk-in services such as minor injuries and much more

This follows one of the largest local NHS consultations in the UK (Hywel Dda Our Big NHS Change), which was held between April and July, and which saw a huge and passionate response from the local population. Responses included more than 5,400 questionnaires, 4,000 attendees at events and workshops, hundreds of written submissions, five petitions and extensive social media debate.

Board members considered all they heard from patients, staff, the general public and interested organisations, not just during the consultation, but also in the pre-consultation engagement and option development period.

They also considered recommendations made by Hywel Dda Community Health Council, the clinical viewpoint following consultation, and other matters including safety standards the NHS has to meet and the ability to provide services in the future.

Whilst some key decisions were made, the health board received really insightful feedback from people during the consultation and wants to investigate further, and demonstrate, some developments, including:

commitment to work with people and organisations to develop integrated networks (as opposed to hubs) which are unique to the needs of their community and to consider the geographical areas highlighted in the consultation as gaps in current provision

work with the community on an early model of the above in Pembrokeshire, focusing on the ability to provide more community based care 24/7 and to demonstrate how it could work and the impact it could have
work with local people to explore potential for a range of different types of beds within the local community – whether in existing community hospitals, at home or another setting review, test and challenge the model for acute medicine to be responsive to demand and changes in patient flows associated with the whole system change
work closely with Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University Health Board on services where patients could benefit from a regional approach
examine the opportunities a new hospital and community model could offer maternity and child health services to ensure doctor and midwifery led care, and care for children (paediatrics) and sick babies (neonatal) are maintained within the boundaries of the Hywel Dda area
align with the transformation work in mental health services to ensure mental health and learning disability assessment and treatment units are provided at the new urgent and planned care hospital
investigate the practicalities and impacts (through a feasibility study and options appraisal) of locations between Narberth and St Clears for the new hospital
work with people living and working in the areas furthest from a new hospital to provide additional support for emergency and urgent care (potential to look at things like placing paramedics within in a community as opposed to within a vehicle)
respond to public anxiety over the ability to manage emergency conditions that are time sensitive (e.g. ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction STEMI, stroke and sepsis) consider the opportunities a new hospital in the south would provide Bronglais Hospital
work closely with other organisations, including county councils and the third sector, to develop Glangwili and Withybush hospitals
develop a detailed plan to address concern heard in consultation regarding access, travel, transport and infrastructure, working with the Regional Transport Group, communities (including those with protected characteristics in response to the difficulties we heard about from people and the equality impact assessment) and Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust
formally state the Health Board’s support for building a case for provision of a 24/7 service to bring medics to the scene of an accident (e.g. the Emergency Medical Retrieval Transport Service, which operates 12 hours a day and CHANTS (Neonatal Retrieval Service))
develop a plan to maximise use of technology in health and care, backed up by secure IT so patient data is safe and joined up between services in the hospital and community
put in place a staff plan to deliver future models and provide opportunities for staff
work with education and university partners to train a workforce with the skills and expertise to work in the new service model, and drive research, innovation and evaluation into our service development
continue to talk the public, staff and interested organisation about all that we do, especially focusing on people with protected characteristics

Chief Executive Steve Moore said: “Today is a hugely momentous day as we confirm we will take a new direction to providing much more preventative and community based healthcare to our population. We’ve heard the concern people have with current healthcare provision and our ability to deliver this sea-change in the years to come but our clinicians have led this work and we believe what has been put before us today offers us the best chance to deal with the fragility our NHS faces and to provide the population with safe, effective care that meets their needs.”

Chair Bernardine Rees added: “We are really grateful to everyone who got involved in our consultation as it has given us really rich feedback. Our ambition is to continue that conversation and input so that we can grow services in our seven localities, using schemes we have already delivered, such as the front of house project at Prince Philip Hospital and Tenby walk-in, as the basis of what can be achieved.”

The next step will be for clinicians and staff to work with the public and other organisations to bring the additional detail together into a draft Health Strategy to put before public Health Board at the end of November.

Medical Director and Director of Clinical Strategy Dr Philip Kloer said: “We’re aware that some people, particularly those who live furthest from the new hospital zone between Narberth and St Clears may be anxious about these changes. They will not happen overnight and we are committed to working with those communities and our partners to demonstrate and test what additional provision can be made, particularly for time-sensitive emergency conditions.

“For example we are working with partners to build the case for the Emergency Medical Retrieval Team (doctors who are brought to the scene to treat and then transfer) and CHANTS (the Neonatal Retrieval Team) to be a 24-hour service, and also investigating the potential to place advanced paramedics in communities so they are available solely to that community.

“Another important factor in providing life-saving treatment is getting people quickly to the definitive hospital which will provide their care. At the moment, people in our coastal areas of Pembrokeshire have to travel to Glangwili for some treatment, which in the future, we will be able to offer at a more equitable location, for the south of Hywel Dda, in the new hospital zone.”

The new hospital will be dependent also on a full business case, which will be made to the Welsh Government.

News

IFS report says Wales lags behind UK on economy and poverty

Published

15 hours ago

April 3, 2026

Jon Coles

THE WELSH GOVERNMENT’s key Child Poverty Strategy lacks clarity, has no reliable way of measuring success or failure, and, crucially, does not account for the Welsh Government’s lack of control over the levers needed to deliver on it.

Those are the findings of a new report by the UK’s leading economic policy research body, the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS), which looks at Wales’s economic performance and poor employment record.

The IFS report, published on Wednesday (April 1), shows that Wales’s economic performance is the worst of the UK nations, with the lowest employment rate, the lowest incomes, the lowest productivity, and the worst poverty levels.

POVERTY STRATEGY LACKS FOCUS

The Welsh Government launched its Child Poverty Strategy in 2018, with five broad aims to reduce child and youth poverty. However, the IFS criticises how those aims have been set out, finding that the definitions are too broad to be measured accurately and lack focus. In particular, the IFS says the strategy’s aims are so nebulous that they ignore the impact of policy areas over which the Welsh Government exercises direct control, for example, health and education, on how outcomes might be measured.

The IFS report says: “Issues with the data mean a material risk that the Welsh Government might either appear to have met a future poverty target or missed it, by a large margin, when in fact the reverse is true.”

WG NOT IN CONTROL OF OWN POVERTY STRATEGY

In any event, several of the most direct policy levers available to influence employment and earnings, including minimum wages, employment law and benefits policy, are reserved to Westminster. However, even if these policy levers were available, it would be very challenging to achieve large, rapid reductions in child poverty with them. In addition, Labour has ruled out using the tax system to generate additional income to help it meet its aims.

Wales’s highest-earning regions are along the North East Wales border with England and in the Cardiff and Newport areas. In addition, proportionately more Welsh employees are public sector workers, who are also, far and away, the best paid in Wales. The average public sector wage is around £5,000 higher than the average private sector wage. And those jobs, too, are disproportionately centred in Cardiff, Newport and North East Wales. The best-performing areas by employment rate, Monmouthshire and Newport, are within easy reach of the English border.

POVERTY CONCEALED BY LOWER PROPERTY VALUES

Compared with the rest of the UK, the gap between men’s and women’s pay is lower in Wales, as are the differences in income and in the highest and lowest property prices. However, property prices are far lower in Wales than in England, as are incomes overall; in addition, there are so few higher-rate tax earners in Wales that the Welsh Government increasing their income tax would have a negligible effect on its revenue. In addition, because Welsh housing prices are much lower than elsewhere in the UK, and because housing costs are a factor in how poverty is measured, housing costs improve one of the key poverty metrics.

News

Carol Vorderman urges Welsh voters to reject Reform UK ahead of Senedd election

Published

16 hours ago

April 3, 2026

Tom Sinclair

TV presenter and commentator to appear at Cardiff event aimed at mobilising anti-Reform voters before May 7

CAROL VODERMAN has urged voters in Wales to reject Reform UK at next month’s Senedd election, as she prepares to appear at a live political event in Cardiff focused on keeping the party out of power.

Speaking ahead of an emergency Guilty Feminist Welsh Election Special at the New Theatre, Cardiff, on Sunday, April 12, Vorderman said Wales faced a crucial choice at the ballot box.

She said: “Wales has a chance for a new beginning in May. But Reform, the chaotic London-based, privately educated, failed Tory party, needs to be sent packing.

“Already numerous of their 96 Welsh candidates have resigned or been sacked for revolting actions. Their last Welsh Reform leader Nathan Gill is serving time in jail for accepting Russian bribes while serving in the European Parliament. Their new Welsh leader was a Tory living in London until a few months ago.

“Farage is a thin-skinned and proven liar. Everyone must come out to vote to save our country. Cymru Am Byth.”

Vorderman is due to appear alongside Guilty Feminist host Deborah Frances-White, with Welsh comedians Kiri Pritchard-McLean and Priya Hall also on the bill. Organisers say the night will mix comedy, music and political discussion, with the aim of building strategy ahead of the election.

Frances-White said polling suggested the Senedd result could be close and argued that “it really matters who ends up making decisions about our lives”, adding that the event was intended as a “get-in-the-room” night to work out how to respond.

Reform UK’s current leader in Wales is Dan Thomas, who was unveiled by Nigel Farage in Newport in February. Thomas is a former Conservative leader of Barnet Council in London, although he grew up in Blackwood.

Vorderman’s reference to Nathan Gill points to a highly embarrassing chapter in the party’s recent history. Gill, a former Reform UK politician and ex-MEP, was jailed last year after admitting taking bribes from pro-Russian figures in exchange for speeches and statements in the European Parliament.

Asked for a response to Vorderman’s remarks, a Reform UK Wales source replied briefly: “Does she even live in Wales?”

It was a short answer, but perhaps not one likely to end the argument. With the campaign heating up, and with high-profile voices now piling in from outside formal party politics, the battle for attention ahead of May 7 is only getting louder.

News

Accommodation providers in Wales will be required to register under new law

Published

20 hours ago

April 3, 2026

Staff Writer

ANYONE who hosts paying guests in Wales will soon be required by law to register their visitor accommodation with the Welsh Revenue Authority (WRA).

The new legal requirement will apply to all paid visitor accommodation across Wales, including spare rooms, holiday cottages, cabins, campsites and hotels. Registration will be required whether accommodation is let for a single night, occasionally, seasonally or all year round.

The register is being introduced to give a clearer picture of the visitor accommodation available in Wales and to support councils that decide to introduce the Visitor Levy. Registration will open in October 2026, and both informal hosts and professional accommodation providers will be required to comply or risk facing penalties.

Accommodation providers can prepare now by visiting gov.wales/registeryourplace to find out what information they will need and sign up for updates and reminders. Registration is free for providers and is expected to take less than 15 minutes to complete.

When registration opens, accommodation providers will be asked to provide information, including:
• contact details
• accommodation address
• type of accommodation
• how many people can stay
• when the accommodation is usually open for bookings

Who needs to register?

Any individual or business that takes bookings for overnight accommodation must register by law.

This includes:
• self-catering accommodation and homestays, including on Airbnb or similar
• hotels, guesthouses or bed and breakfasts
• campsites or camping pitches
• hostels or bunkhouses
• caravans, chalets, lodges, shepherd’s huts or glamping
• temporary accommodation for events, including festivals

Rebecca Godfrey, Welsh Revenue Authority Chief Executive, said: “If you take bookings for overnight stays in Wales, you’ll need to register with us. We want to make this process as straightforward as possible, and we’re here to support accommodation providers to register correctly and on time.

“We’ll be publishing further guidance before registration opens in October 2026. In the meantime, I’d encourage providers to visit gov.wales/registeryourplace to find out what to expect and sign up for updates.”