News

Angry campaigners ‘not prepared to roll over’

Published

12 years ago

November 20, 2013

THE CLOSURE of Tenby’s Minor Injuries Unit has not stopped campaigners, who say the fight to keep it open will continue.

At a meeting last Friday, local AMs, county, town and community councillors and South East Pembrokeshire Community Health Network representatives confirmed they were not prepared to roll over.

“Although the Hywel Dda Health Board has stated that the MIU is to close, we’re not prepared to just roll over and accept their decision,” Tenby town councillor and secretary of the SEPCHN, Cllr Caroline Thomas, commented after the meeting.

She continued: “We feel that the case for maintaining the MIU in Tenby for the benefit of the whole of South East Pembrokeshire and the thousands of visitors who come to the area annually is as strong now as it always has been and we will continue to press that case.”

Chair of the Health Board, Chris Martin was invited to attend the event, but he declined leaving those who attended disappointed. Assembly members Angela Burns and William Powell, along with County Councillors, Mike Evans, Michael Williams, Phil Baker, Tony Brinsden, Jon Preston, Jacob Williams, Phil Kidney and SEPCHN chairman Mansel Thomas were all present at the meeting.

Before the meeting, Mr Martin had informed the clerk to Tenby Town Council, Andrew Davies, that the Health Board would not change their plans for the closure of the MIU, although he had stressed that no date had yet been agreed.

He had, however, agreed to meet with a small group of local county councillors to explain how the services currently provided at the Tenby MIU would be re-provided through local GP practices and ‘third party’ providers.

Members were grateful for the opportunity to meet with Mr Martin but local GP, Dr Iwan Griffiths, senior partner at the Tenby practice, expressed doubts that Mr Martin would be able to outline future provision, as Tenby Surgery had only been contacted once by the Health Board since June.

He said: “We, and I believe our colleagues in Saundersfoot, are still of the same opinion as 12 months ago, and that is that the current level of Emergency Nurse Practitioner-led service provided at Tenby MIU cannot be replicated by the GPs without an adverse effect on our role as primary care providers.”

Dr Griffiths added that promises made by Mrs Sue Lewis, the Health Board’s county director for Pembrokeshire, had not been kept. At a similar meeting with the group in June it was decided that they would look into models of provision in other areas with similarly high influxes of tourists.

He added: “If you keep reducing the services, and the times that these services are available, then ultimately you are going to reach a situation where the number of people presenting at the MIU is statistically so low as to indicate that it is not needed,” he ventured, adding that this seemed to fly in the face of the ethos of bringing care closer to the community.

Members at the meeting also felt that the Health Board had still not taken account of the poor transport links to Haverfordwest and Carmarthen, the large elderly population or the number of visitors.

Many members expressed their shock at the apparent lack of communication between the Health Board and the GPs over the last couple of months and Cllr Michael Williams even suggested that a vote of no confidence be called in the management of the Health Board.

Assembly member Mrs Burns agreed that there was certainly a case for lack of confidence in the board’s consultation and communication procedure on such an important issue, but felt that a lot more evidence would be needed to support such a letter.

Questions were also asked of the role of the Community Health Council in the matter, with East Williamston County Cllr Jacob Williams fearing that they had ‘capitulated’.

He said: “The CHC seem to have accepted the Health Board telling them that the services are going to be replicated by the GPs and other providers, but we’re now hearing from the GPs that no such agreement is in place. In fact, we’re hearing that the Health Board have not discussed the matter further with the GPs since June.”

Regional AM Mr Powell, who is also chair of the Assembly’s petitions committee, confirmed that Tenby Town Council’s petition calling for the Health Board to reverse their decision was still ‘live’ and was due to be considered again on November 11.

He also highlighted the fact Llandudno would be getting a £1.9 million investment to enhance their MIU facilities and said that the case for MIU provision in south east Pembrokeshire was no different.

The meeting resolved to keep the pressure on the Health Board to reverse their decision both through the Welsh Assembly and at local level.

Community

Craig Flannery appointed as new Chief Fire Officer

Published

4 hours ago

December 19, 2025

Tom Sinclair

MID AND WEST WALES FIRE SERVICE LEADERSHIP CHANGE

MID and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service has announced the appointment of Craig Flannery as its new Chief Fire Officer, with effect from Monday, December 15, 2025.

Mr Flannery has served with the Service for more than twenty years, progressing through a wide range of middle management and senior leadership roles across both operational and non-operational departments.

During his career, he has been closely involved in strengthening operational delivery, risk management and organisational development. His work has included leading innovation in learning and development, overseeing the Service’s On-Call Improvement Programme, and driving investment in key enabling functions such as workforce development and information and communication technology.

The appointment followed a rigorous, multi-stage recruitment process led by Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Authority. Candidates were assessed through structured interviews, strategic leadership exercises and scenario-based assessments designed to test operational judgement, organisational vision and the ability to lead a modern fire and rescue service.

External professional assessors were also engaged to provide independent scrutiny, ensuring the process met high standards of fairness, transparency and challenge.

Mr Flannery emerged as the strongest candidate, demonstrating clear strategic leadership capability, detailed organisational knowledge and a strong commitment to community safety and service improvement.

Councillor John Davies, Chair of Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Authority, said: “Craig brings a deep understanding of our Service and a clear vision for its future. His appointment will strengthen our ability to innovate, support our workforce and deliver high-quality protection for the communities we serve.

“As we navigate a rapidly changing landscape, Craig’s experience in driving innovation and organisational development will be invaluable in helping us adapt and transform for the future.”

Commenting on his appointment, Mr Flannery said: “It is a privilege to lead this outstanding Service. I am committed to supporting our people, strengthening partnerships and building on the strong foundations already in place.

“As the challenges facing fire and rescue services continue to evolve, we must modernise and innovate, ensuring we have the skills, technology and capability needed to meet the needs of our communities. I look forward to working with colleagues and partners across Mid and West Wales to deliver a resilient, progressive Service that keeps people safe and places our staff at the heart of everything we do.”

Health

Resident doctors in Wales vote to accept new contract

Published

9 hours ago

December 18, 2025

Tom Sinclair

RESIDENT doctors across Wales have voted to accept a new contract, with 83% of those who took part in a referendum backing the agreement, according to BMA Cymru Wales.

The contract includes a four per cent additional investment in the resident doctor workforce and introduces a range of reforms aimed at improving training conditions, wellbeing and long-term workforce sustainability within NHS Wales. The BMA says the deal also supports progress towards pay restoration, which remains a central issue for doctors.

Key changes include new safeguards to limit the most fatiguing working patterns, measures intended to address medical unemployment and career progression concerns, and reforms to study budgets and study leave to improve access to training opportunities.

Negotiations between the BMA’s Welsh Resident Doctors Committee, NHS Wales Employers and the Welsh Government concluded earlier this year. Following a consultation period, a referendum of resident doctors and final-year medical students in Wales was held, resulting in a clear majority in favour of the proposals.

Welsh Resident Doctors Committee chair Dr Oba Babs Osibodu said the agreement marked a significant step forward for doctors working in Wales.

He said: “We’re proud to have negotiated this contract, which offers our colleagues and the future generation of doctors safer terms of service, fairer pay, and better prospects so that they can grow and develop their careers in Wales.

“This contract will help to retain the doctors already in training, and also attract more doctors to work in Wales, where they can offer their expertise and benefit patients.”

Dr Osibodu added that the BMA remains committed to achieving full pay restoration and acknowledged that challenges remain for some doctors.

“Whilst this contract sets the foundations for a brighter future for resident doctors in Wales, we recognise that there are still doctors who are struggling to develop their careers and secure permanent work,” he said. “We need to work with the Welsh Government and NHS employers to address training bottlenecks and underemployment.”

The Welsh Government has previously said it recognises the pressures facing resident doctors and the importance of improving recruitment and retention across NHS Wales, while also highlighting the need to balance pay agreements with wider NHS funding pressures and patient demand.

The new contract is expected to be phased in from August 2026. It will initially apply to doctors in foundation programmes, those in specialty training with unbanded rotas, and new starters, before being rolled out to all resident doctors across Wales.

Crime

Swansea man jailed for online child sex offence dies in prison

Published

9 hours ago

December 18, 2025

Tom Sinclair

A SWANSEA man who was jailed earlier this year for attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child has died while in custody.

Gareth Davies, aged 59, of the Maritime Quarter, was serving an 18-month prison sentence after being convicted in May of sending sexually explicit messages to what he believed was a 14-year-old girl. The account was in fact a decoy used as part of an online safeguarding operation.

The court heard that Davies began communicating with the decoy between November and December 2024 and persistently pursued the individual, later attempting to arrange a face-to-face meeting. He was arrested after being confronted by the decoy operators.

Davies had pleaded not guilty but was convicted following a trial. At the time of sentencing, police described the messages as extremely concerning and said his imprisonment was necessary to protect children.

It has now been confirmed that Davies died at HMP Parc on Wednesday (Nov 27) while serving his sentence.

The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman has launched an independent investigation into the death, which is standard procedure in all cases where someone dies in custody. No cause of death has been released at this stage.

A coroner will determine the circumstances in due course.