News

Withybush: Special care baby unit to close

Published

12 years ago

January 21, 2014

IT HAS BEEN announced today that the Special Care Baby Unit at Withybush hospital, Haverfordwest will close, but consultant led services will remain at the hospital until such time as midwife led service is ready to be deployed.

Health Minister for Wales, Mark Drakeford: “Essential factor is that a mother should be able to make an informed decision on the place of birth. These changes will mean that the majority of services will be continued to be provided locally by their GP and hospital as they are now. Women can continue to safely have their deliveries at the midwife led units.” He continued: “I endorse the new service model”

Commenting on the statement from the welsh Labour Government on the future of level 2 neonatal services in the Hywel Dda Health Board area in West Wales, Paul Davies, Assembly Member for Preseli Pembrokeshire, said:

“This decision represents a bleak day for the people of Pembrokeshire who have campaigned and fought tirelessly to protect lifesaving baby services at Withybush Hospital.

“This decision is dangerous and in immediately life-threatening cases, could pose severe harm to mothers and babies and Welsh Labour Ministers carry a heavy responsibility in pursuing this centralising agenda.

“Expectant mothers must be confident in the knowledge that services are fit for purpose and that care for sick and vulnerable babies will be available if the worst happens.

“Travelling any distance lessens survival chances and in a rural area like Pembrokeshire, reaching medical attention within the golden hour can make the difference between life and death.

“We need to hear a cast iron guarantee from Labour Ministers that there will be no reduction in paediatrics or other services at Withybush Hospital as a result of this downgrade.

“Many patients will see this closure as a financial decision, perhaps resulting from Labour’s legacy of record-breaking NHS cuts.”

Angela Burns, Assembly Member for Carmarthen West & South Pembrokeshire, said, “Trust and safety are the two most important things for any new mother and baby when they are in a healthcare environment.

“We need a clear undertaking from the Welsh Government that Labour Ministers will keep a close watch on neonatal care in West Wales for the security of patients.

“Many patients fear that Hywel Dda Health Board is trigger happy when it comes to closing services, but not quick enough in getting alternative proposals in place or recruiting staff to properly resources those services.

“It is critical that safety nets are in place before any closures to give campaigners and families confidence that the best interests of mothers and babies are the overriding priority in devising neonatal care provision.

“Labour Ministers must now assure patients in Pembrokeshire that this is not a slippery slope towards the further loss of services at Withybush Hospital.”

Paul Davies AM said “Today is a bleak day for the people of Pembrokeshire. The minister has made it clear that he will close the SCBU at Withybush, and this will put lives at risk. This decision has been taken without geographical considerations being taken into account. The WAG needs to take into consideration transfer times and transport. Pembrokeshire has challenging transport links, and if critical services are not based in Pembrokeshire then it is unlikely that people will be able to access critical services within one hour. New centralised baby unit will cost over £12,000,000 to set up.”

Mark Drakeford replied: “Should it be the case after 12 months that the new service level is unsafe then any sensible person would want to revisit that model. I am confident that Withybush hospital will continue as a hospital in West Wales and I only last week announced more capital investment in that hospital.”
Mark Drakeford, claims that while essential SCBU services are transferred, there will be a “safety net” and that work would be done on commissioning emergency transport arrangements.

Local AM, Paul Davies, asked why these arrangements were thought necessary now and not thought essential as part of the original planned service transfer.

Stephen Crabb MP told the Herald: “I am shocked and appalled at the decision by the Welsh Health Minister in Cardiff today to axe the unit which has helped save the lives of so many vulnerable mums and babies in our County.”

“This news is a cold and bitter blow to all the people across Pembrokeshire who have fought hard to save the Special Care Baby Unit. They will rightfully feel angry and deeply disappointed that their grave concerns have been ignored by the Minister. There can be no doubt that this decision will cause huge anxiety in the community. I fear that the closure of SCBU is the start of the wholesale downgrading that Welsh Government and the Health Board has been planning all along.”

“The argument that it all comes down to budget cuts is nonsense. The Labour Welsh Government was actually given extra money for health after the Coalition in Westminster ring-fenced health spending against cuts. Welsh Ministers then chose to go ahead and cut its health budget. Instead they have spent money on things like Cardiff Airport which cost the taxpayer in Wales £52 million.”

“As many Pembrokeshire people know, the Welsh Government has been trying desperately to move health services from Withybush Hospital since before 2005. The Labour Ministers in Cardiff need to wake up to reality and realise that centralising these vital services will put lives at risk in our rural communities. The next step in the campaign to save SCBU is through the courts and I fully support any such action. I will be providing any assistance I can to help overturn this decision.”

“This decision represents a bleak day for the people of Pembrokeshire who have campaigned and fought tirelessly to protect lifesaving baby services at Withybush Hospital.

“Expectant mothers must be confident in the knowledge that services are fit for purpose and that care for sick and vulnerable babies will be available if the worst happens.

“Travelling any distance lessens survival chances and in a rural area like Pembrokeshire, reaching medical attention within the golden hour can make the difference between life and death.

“We need to hear a cast iron guarantee from Labour Ministers that there will be no reduction in paediatrics or other services at Withybush Hospital as a result of this downgrade.

“Many patients will see this closure as a financial decision, perhaps resulting from Labour’s legacy of record-breaking NHS cuts.”

“We need a clear undertaking from the Welsh Government that Labour Ministers will keep a close watch on neonatal care in West Wales for the security of patients.

“Labour Ministers must now assure patients in Pembrokeshire that this is not a slippery slope towards the further loss of services at Withybush Hospital.”

Health

Resident doctors in Wales vote to accept new contract

Published

2 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

2 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.

Farming

Welsh Conservatives warn climate plans could mean fewer livestock on Welsh farms

Published

2 hours ago

December 18, 2025

Tom Sinclair

THE WELSH CONSERVATIVES have challenged the Welsh Government over climate change policies they say could lead to reductions in livestock numbers across Wales, raising concerns about the future of Welsh farming.

The row follows the Welsh Government’s decision, alongside Plaid Cymru and the Welsh Liberal Democrats, to support the UK Climate Change Committee’s Fourth Carbon Budget, which sets out the pathway towards Net Zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

The Carbon Budget, produced by the independent Climate Change Committee (CCC), states that meeting Net Zero targets will require a reduction in agricultural emissions, including changes to land use and, in some scenarios, a reduction in livestock numbers.

During questioning in the Senedd, the Welsh Conservatives pressed the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs on whether the Welsh Government supports reducing livestock numbers as part of its climate strategy.

Speaking after the exchange, Welsh Conservative Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Samuel Kurtz MS, said the Welsh Government could not distance itself from the implications of the policy it had backed.

Mr Kurtz said: “By voting in favour of these climate change regulations, Labour, Plaid Cymru and the Liberal Democrats have signed up to the UK Climate Change Committee’s call to cut livestock numbers in Wales, and they cannot dodge that reality.

“The Deputy First Minister’s smoke-and-mirrors answers only confirm what farmers already fear: that Labour, along with their budget bedfellows in Plaid and the Lib Dems, are prepared to sacrifice Welsh agriculture in pursuit of climate targets.”

He added that the issue came at a time of growing pressure on the farming sector, pointing to uncertainty over the proposed Sustainable Farming Scheme, the ongoing failure to eradicate bovine TB, nitrogen pollution regulations under the Nitrate Vulnerable Zones (NVZs), and proposed changes to inheritance tax rules affecting family farms.

The Welsh Government has repeatedly said it does not have a target to forcibly reduce livestock numbers and has argued that future emissions reductions will come through a combination of improved farming practices, environmental land management, and changes in land use agreed with farmers.

Ministers have also said the Sustainable Farming Scheme, which is due to replace the Basic Payment Scheme, is intended to reward farmers for food production alongside environmental outcomes, rather than remove land from agriculture.

The UK Climate Change Committee, which advises governments across the UK, has stressed that its pathways are based on modelling rather than fixed quotas, and that devolved governments have flexibility in how targets are met.

However, farming unions and rural groups in Wales have warned that policies focused on emissions reduction risk undermining the viability of livestock farming, particularly in upland and marginal areas where alternatives to grazing are limited.

The debate highlights the growing tension between climate targets and food production in Wales, with livestock farming remaining a central part of the rural economy and Welsh cultural identity.

As discussions continue over the final shape of the Sustainable Farming Scheme and Wales’ long-term climate plans, pressure is mounting on the Welsh Government to reassure farmers that climate policy will not come at the expense of the sector’s survival.