News

Pembrokeshire patients return to Withybush following boundaries change

Published

9 years ago

August 23, 2016

withybush (2) THE NUMBER of medical beds at Withybush Hospital will return to usual in September as hospital county boundaries are reinstated by Hywel Dda University Board (UHB).

From Thursday, September 1, the county boundary for Withybush Hospital, Haverfordwest, will return to that in place prior to August 2015 when temporary changes began.

This will mean that patients from Tenby, Saundersfoot, Kilgetty and Narberth, requiring emergency or urgent medical care, will be admitted to Withybush Hospital through GP referrals or ambulance admissions, rather than Glanwgili Hospital, Carmarthen.

The temporary change had been necessary to align the medical capacity at the hospital with the number of medical staff available after the Wales Deanery were unable to recruit core medical trainees to the Haverfordwest hospital as usual in August 2015.

Chief Executive Steve Moore explained: “We are pleased to be able to reinstate the boundaries as we have managed to stabilise medical staffing, with recruitment of a number of locums. We are grateful to both our staff and our patients for their support during this period, although I recognise and regret that it did take us longer than expected to get to this more stable position.”

Withybush Hospital will now return to having 95 medical beds, 17 adult clinical decision beds for general medicine and a total of 76 surgical beds. There will be capacity to open a maximum of nine additional ‘surge’ beds. As was the case prior to August 2015, there may be the requirement to divert Pembrokeshire patients to other hospitals during periods of high demand.

Chair of Hywel Dda Community Health Council John Philips said: “We’re pleased to hear that the boundaries will revert to their normal status. Our initial concerns were that the patient experience would be poorer through these changes and so we visited both Withybush and Glangwili hospitals a number of times to talk to patients and see for ourselves what the impact was. Thankfully people remained positive about their hospital experiences, which was reassuring but we urged the health board to do all it could to return normal service to provide care as close to home as possible. Whilst it has taken longer than we wanted, today’s news is positive. Looking ahead however, it is crucial that the health board ensures that staffing; the foundation of good health care, is sustainable.”

Clinical Director for Withybush Hospital Dr Iain Robertson-Steel said: “We are putting worldwide efforts into recruiting medical and nursing staff for Withybush Hospital and indeed across the health board, so that we can maintain safe care across our services. It remains a challenge for us, and indeed the NHS across the UK.”

The UHB is liaising with GP colleagues and those in the Welsh Ambulance Service Trust so that everyone involved in the patient pathway is clear on the referrals and reinstatement of the county boundaries.”

Options to further increase bed capacity at Withybush Hospital are currently being considered and the situation is being kept under close review.

Patients on the Carmarthenshire/Pembrokeshire boundary are being reminded that they do not need to take any different action to accessing care than what they have been doing. Throughout this period, patients have still been able to walk into any Emergency Department as they usually do, with only GP referrals and ambulance admissions affected.

Crime

Man charged with strangulation and assault offences after October incident

Published

3 hours ago

December 14, 2025

Court Reporter

A MAN recorded in court as having no fixed abode has appeared before magistrates charged with intentional strangulation and two further assault offences.

Michael Sudbury, 50, whose address was not read out in court, but in Herald records is Glan Hafan, Llangwm, appeared before the bench facing multiple charges.

The charges relate to an incident on 22 October 2025 and include:

Intentional strangulation, contrary to section 75A of the Serious Crime Act 2015
Common assault
Assault by beating

No further details of the alleged incident were opened in court, and no plea was entered at this stage.

Sudbury was remanded on conditional bail, with the case listed to return to magistrates later this month.

Crime

Haverfordwest man sent to Crown Court on multiple serious charges

Published

3 hours ago

December 14, 2025

Court Reporter

Defendant remanded in custody

A HAVERFORDWEST man has been sent to Swansea Crown Court to stand trial on a series of A 49-year-old Haverfordwest resident has been committed to Swansea Crown Court to face trial on multiple serious charges deemed too grave for magistrates to handle.

David Guy, of Market Street, Haverfordwest, appeared before Haverfordwest magistrates facing a series of allegations stemming from a single case. The charges, which were not detailed in open court, include:

Assault occasioning actual bodily harm (ABH)
A second count of assault
Criminal damage
An additional allegation of interpersonal violence
A public order offence

Magistrates declined jurisdiction, determining that the matters exceeded their sentencing powers, and sent the case in its entirety to Swansea Crown Court.

Guy was remanded in custody pending his next appearance. The court register notes: “Sent to Crown Court for trial in custody – next hearing at Swansea Crown Court.”

A date for the initial Crown Court hearing will be set administratively. Guy will remain in custody until then.

The Pembrokeshire Herald will provide further updates as the case progresses in the Crown Court.

Crime

Castlemartin man back before magistrates over multiple alleged assaults

Published

3 hours ago

December 14, 2025

Court Reporter

Defendant remanded on conditional bail ahead of further hearing

A CASTLEMARTIN man has appeared repeatedly before magistrates this month over a string A 40-year-old man from Castlemartin has made repeated appearances before magistrates this month in connection with a series of serious alleged offences, including assault occasioning actual bodily harm (ABH), intentional non-fatal strangulation, common assault, and criminal damage.

Anthony Alcock, of Pwll Street, Castlemartin, is facing six linked charges stemming from incidents said to have occurred earlier this year. These appear to relate to the same complainant in what is understood to be a single ongoing domestic abuse prosecution.

During recent administrative hearings at Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court, Alcock did not enter pleas while matters of bail and case management were addressed.

Charges Include:

Assault occasioning actual bodily harm (ABH)
Intentional non-fatal strangulation
Common assault on a woman
Criminal damage in a domestic context
Additional assault allegations involving the same complainant
Breach of bail conditions

Alcock was initially granted conditional bail but was subsequently brought before the court on two occasions for alleged breaches. On those instances, magistrates remanded him in custody ahead of further hearings. He was later re-granted conditional bail, subject to strict conditions such as no contact with the complainant and exclusion from specified locations.

Magistrates have now declined jurisdiction, ruling that the case—particularly the more serious charges involving non-fatal strangulation—is too grave for summary trial. It has been committed to Swansea Crown Court for plea, trial, or sentencing.

No detailed evidence has been presented in open court at this preliminary stage. Alcock remains on conditional bail pending his next appearance at the Crown Court.