CALLS have been made for an urgent debate in the Senedd over the future of services at Withybush Hospital as political pressure mounts ahead of the Welsh Parliament election.

Paul Davies MS and Samuel Kurtz MS have written jointly to Carolyn Thomas MS, Chair of the Senedd’s Petitions Committee, urging that a public petition concerning healthcare provision in Pembrokeshire be considered as a matter of urgency.

The petition, which has already gathered more than 10,000 signatures, raises concerns about changes to services at Withybush Hospital and calls for intervention to protect healthcare provision in the county.

Reaching the 10,000-signature threshold means the petition qualifies for consideration by the Senedd and could be recommended for debate in the chamber.

The two MSs say the issue should be discussed before the Senedd dissolves ahead of the Welsh Parliament election on May 7.

Paul Davies MS said the strength of public support highlighted deep concern among residents about the future of healthcare services in Pembrokeshire.

“Reaching 10,000 signatures demonstrates the strength of feeling across Pembrokeshire about future services at Withybush Hospital,” he said.

“Residents, clinicians and campaigners have raised serious concerns about patient safety, travel times and the cumulative impact of service changes.”

Samuel Kurtz MS said it was essential that the Welsh Government was required to respond to the concerns in a formal Senedd debate.

“Given the potential impact that the centralisation of hospital services could have on rural communities, it’s vital that this issue is debated in the Senedd before dissolution,” he said.

“People deserve the opportunity for their elected representatives to scrutinise these decisions and for the Welsh Government to respond formally on the record.”

Concerns over rural healthcare access

The future of Withybush Hospital has been a long-running issue in Pembrokeshire, with repeated campaigns over the years to protect services at the Haverfordwest site.

Previous controversies have included the loss of consultant-led maternity services and changes to paediatric provision, while more recent concerns have focused on the withdrawal of emergency general surgery.

Critics argue that moving services to larger hospitals, particularly Glangwili Hospital in Carmarthen, risks increasing travel times for patients in a largely rural county.

Campaigners say this could place additional pressure on ambulance services and potentially delay life-saving treatment.

Ajay Owen, founder of the campaign group SARS Cymru, said the petition reflected widespread anxiety across the county.

“The fact that the petition has surpassed 10,000 signatures in such a short window shows there is real concern across Pembrokeshire,” he said.

He warned that removing emergency surgery from Withybush could make it harder for patients suffering serious trauma or medical emergencies to receive treatment within the “golden hour” — the period during which rapid intervention can be critical for survival.

Campaigners argue that the combination of ambulance response times and travel distances to Carmarthen could result in some patients waiting more than an hour before reaching hospital.

Health board position

Hywel Dda University Health Board has previously said that service reconfiguration across west Wales is designed to improve patient outcomes by concentrating specialist staff and resources at fewer sites.

However, critics argue that centralising services risks leaving rural communities with reduced access to urgent care.

The Herald understands the Senedd’s Petitions Committee will now decide whether to fast-track consideration of the petition and recommend a debate before the Senedd breaks up ahead of the election campaign.

If approved, the issue could be discussed by Members of the Senedd in the final weeks of the current parliamentary term.

Choir members receive gold, silver and bronze medals after completing Royal School of Church Music programme

YOUNG singers from the choir at St Davids Cathedral have been recognised for their musical progress after receiving Voice for Life awards from the Royal School of Church Music.

The medals were presented during a ceremony at the cathedral, where choristers were praised for their dedication to developing their vocal skills and musical understanding.

The Voice for Life scheme is a national programme run by the Royal School of Church Music (RSCM), designed to help young choristers develop their singing ability, music theory knowledge and commitment to church music.

A total of ten choristers received awards during the presentation.

Harriet received the Gold Award, while Isabelle, Esther, Phoebe and Cora were presented with Silver Awards.

Bronze Awards were awarded to Avalon, Imogen, Megan, Abigael and Grace.

Two additional choristers were unable to attend the ceremony due to illness, but the cathedral said their awards will be presented at a later date.

The cathedral choir also thanked Laurence John for preparing the young singers so thoroughly for their examinations.

St Davids Cathedral Choir said it was delighted to see such a strong group of choristers successfully complete the programme and congratulated all those who received awards.

A 37-YEAR-OLD Ceredigion man has been jailed after repeatedly failing to comply with the terms of a suspended sentence order imposed for an assault.

Michael Smith, aged 37, of Cross Inn, Llandysul, appeared before Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court on Monday (Mar 9).

The court heard that Smith had failed to comply with requirements attached to a suspended sentence order originally imposed by Aberystwyth Magistrates’ Court on June 11, 2025.

He admitted breaching the order by failing to attend unpaid work on December 21, 2025, missing a planned probation appointment on January 29, 2026, and failing to provide acceptable evidence within the specified timeframe.

Smith admitted the breach when he appeared in court.

Magistrates were told the suspended sentence had originally been imposed following Smith’s conviction for assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

The offence took place on October 13, 2024, at his home in Cross Inn, where he assaulted Sasha White, causing her actual bodily harm.

Because of the repeated breach of the order, magistrates decided to activate the suspended sentence.

Smith was ordered to serve the 16-week prison sentence that had previously been suspended for 18 months.

A further four weeks’ imprisonment was imposed consecutively on a related matter, bringing the total custodial sentence to 20 weeks.

In their sentencing remarks, magistrates said Smith had shown “very low and limited compliance” with the court order and had demonstrated a disregard for the requirements placed upon him.

The court also noted that he had committed a further offence shortly after the suspended sentence order had originally been imposed and that the breach represented his third failure to comply.

Smith had been on bail prior to the hearing but was taken into custody following the court’s decision.