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HEART UNIT NEXT TO GO: Alarm as Withybush Hospital faces more cuts

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Dr. Sue FishNEWS that the Cardiology service at Withybush General Hospital is to shut has come “like a bolt from the blue” according to local health campaigners.

Widespread fears that the removal of essential services in paediatrics and special baby care were the thin end of the wedge and represented “salami-slicing tactics” by the Health Board appear to have been borne out by the announcement of plans to substantially cut the provision of cardiac care in Haverfordwest.

A week after well over 500 local people protested outside the Senedd in Cardiff Bay, the Health Board chose to release a report dated January 27, 2014 into the future of cardiac care in West Wales.

Relying on what is described as “anecdotal” evidence, the Board commissioned the report in September last year to review cardiac care, around the same time its plans for neonatal care were referred to an a separate expert panel.

THE HEALTH BOARD did not publicise the referral of cardiac services and it was not mentioned by Mark Drakeford, Welsh Health Minister, who rejected the idea that services would be “salami sliced” away from the Haverfordwest hospital.

It is understood that the report proposes further downgrades to outlying general hospitals and the centralisation of cardiac care on West Wales General, Carmarthen.

The press release carried on the Local Health Board’s website says that the report was commissioned “following concerns raised” but fails to say by whom. The Pembrokeshire Herald understands that concerns were raised within the Local Health Board itself by two cardiologists and not by an outside agency.

Local Health Board Medical Director Dr Sue Fish said: “Our patients deserve the best possible care and we would like to reassure patients we take the issues raised in the report very seriously.

“The review did not look at any specific issues relating to individual patients and has not identified any parts of the service that are currently unsafe.

“However, it did make a number of recommendations advising us on how they believe we should configure cardiology services to improve the care of patients across the university health board.

“We will have to consider the recommendations very seriously before reaching a decision on how we implement them.”

Surprisingly, the members of the panel writing the report not only failed to visit West Wales General Hospital, they also failed to visit Bronglais and Withybush Hospitals or to speak to the families of patients who had received treatment at those hospitals.

The conclusion that the panel has drawn is:

“The reality for Withybush and Bronglais is that the current situation is not tenable. Patients served by these hospitals do not appear to receive optimum care.”

Sue Fish responded to the report saying:

“It’s important to stress that no decisions have been made as the project board will need to consider the recommendations with our expert clinicians before firm decisions on the best way forward are made.”

The Health Board will provide its official response to the report at the public board meeting in May. The announcement comes a week to the day after the protest by outraged Pembrokeshire residents at the gradual and ongoing movement of essential health care services away from our County’s only general hospital.

As the Health Board had the report on January 27, it is not clear why its publication was delayed until March 12.

Spokesperson for SWAT Chris Overton said:

“The cardiology move is not a surprise. Very soon all inpatient services will be centralised at Glangwili. There is no room there and nothing is ready!

“The Chairman and Chief Executive are jumping ship. The Welsh Government seem willing to sacrifice a few lives just to save money. None of this was in the Health Board’s consultation, which was a farce. Hopefully we can really expose this now in court! “The next marches and demonstrations need to be much bigger. Are you with us?”

The next protest march to Withybush is scheduled for Saturday, April 12 and a fundraising craft fair will take place on Sunday, April 6 at the Picton Centre, Haverfordwest.

Spokesperson for SWAT Chris Overton said:

“The cardiology move is not a surprise. Very soon all inpatient services will be centralised at Glangwili. There is no room there and nothing is ready!

“The Chairman and Chief Executive are jumping ship. The Welsh Government seem willing to sacrifice a few lives just to save money. None of this was in the Health Board’s consultation, which was a farce. Hopefully we can really expose this now in court!

“The next marches and demonstrations need to be much bigger. Are you with us?”

The next protest march to Withybush is scheduled for Saturday, April 12 and a fundraising craft fair will take place on Sunday, April 6 at the Picton Centre, Haverfordwest.

4 Comments

4 Comments

  1. Geoff Sizer

    March 20, 2014 at 7:30 am

    This is going to be death by a thousand cuts for Withybush Hospital – so sad and so serious for the residents of Pembrokeshire

  2. Teifion

    March 22, 2014 at 9:12 pm

    If everyone could make an appointment for their heart attack or stroke we’ll be fine with that “golden hour” where treatment is a must 🙁

  3. Elizabeth

    February 15, 2015 at 12:57 pm

    This is dreadful news once again the people in Pembrokeshire are being forgotten. Glangwilli is outdated and unable to cope now without all the extra patients when the closure happens and it will regardless to how many protests we have, No consideration has been thought of with regards to the families who are going to have to travel so far to visit loved ones, A disgrace .

  4. stephen

    February 15, 2015 at 10:47 pm

    tell me who the hell is taking all the money + glangwilli have they doubled the size of it? they need to the way h west are closing the wards, perhaps someone wants to build a housing estate on the hospital site for immigrants, good money in that so i heard.

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Campaigners urge Welsh Government to adopt proportional representation for Local Elections

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CAMPAIGNERS are calling on the Welsh Government to introduce the Single Transferable Vote (STV) system for local elections, following moves by two councils to shift away from the First Past the Post (FPTP) system being blocked on technical grounds.

Yesterday (Nov 14), Ceredigion Council voted narrowly, with an 18 to 17 majority, in favor of adopting STV. This follows Gwynedd Council’s decision last month, where 65% of councillors backed the move. However, both councils have been prevented from implementing STV due to a requirement for a two-thirds majority under the Local Government and Elections (Wales) Act 2021.

In recent consultations, public support for STV has been overwhelming, with over 70% in Gwynedd and 67% in Ceredigion favoring the change. Only Powys Council rejected the proposal, despite 60.5% of its respondents supporting STV. Campaigners argue that the current system deprives voters of representation, citing that over 100,000 people were denied a vote in the 2022 elections due to uncontested seats.

The Electoral Reform Society Cymru (ERS Cymru) highlights the contrast with Scotland, where the introduction of STV for local elections in 2007 has significantly reduced uncontested seats. According to ERS Cymru, Scotland has had fewer uncontested seats in the last four elections combined than Gwynedd Council recorded alone in 2022.

Jess Blair, Director of ERS Cymru, said:

“Decisions made in council chambers affect everyone in those areas, so every vote should count. It’s absurd that councils choosing STV are blocked by a technicality, leaving them stuck with an outdated system that denies representation to thousands. The Welsh Government must act to avoid repeating the undemocratic outcomes of the last elections.”

Campaigners are now calling on the Welsh Government to introduce STV across all councils in Wales, ensuring representation that reflects the electorate’s wishes.

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Business

Upgrades completed at Port of Milford Haven’s simulator suite

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UPGRADES have been completed to state-of-the-art equipment within the Port of Milford Haven’s navigation simulator suite at Milford Waterfront enabling marine professionals to receive bespoke specialist training. The virtual reality simulation system can safely replicate a range of scenarios that seafarers may experience in real world situations such as extreme weather conditions, emergency situations and escort tug work.


The upgrades provided by Netherlands-based company MARIN contain the latest hardware in terms of processing power and graphics, as well as upgrades to MARIN’s ‘Dolphin’ software, increasing the capability to create scenarios. These are complemented with new 4k visuals on 75” screens which increase the depth and field of vision, adding to the realism.

Recently, a training day was led by Training Pilot Captain Mark Johnson, assisted by ex-Pilot Andy Hillier, involving members of the Svitzer team as well as Pilots Matt Roberts and Ian Coombes. As part of the scenario, they were faced with a loss of engine power and steering along with worsening weather and sea conditions. The Pilots had to communicate with Svitzer in order to successfully instruct them on how to tow and direct a drifting tanker. While scenarios like these are uncommon within port operations, it is important to rehearse procedures that would be implemented if they are required and enhances participants’ skill sets.

Marine Pilot and Simulator Instructor, Captain Ewan McNicoll, said “This simulator suite has future proofed our training capabilities, both internally for Pilots and marine staff, but also externally for clients wishing to use the facility, be it for training purposes or research and development. We can create any type of scenario with any type of ship, ranging from practicing ship handling manoeuvres to emergency situations, it really is game changing! Working with our partners at MARIN has been a complete success and I am very proud of our new facility.”

For more information about training at the navigation simulation suite please contact the Port of Milford Haven at [email protected] or 01646 696100.

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Business

Thousands of homes in rural Wales gain from faster 4G boost

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RURAL Wales is seeing a major upgrade in mobile connectivity, with faster 4G now live in several areas. Seven locations across North, South West, and West Wales are benefitting from new 4G mast upgrades funded by the UK Government’s Shared Rural Network (SRN), aimed at closing the digital gap between rural and urban areas.

The upgrades, which went live on Thursday (Nov 14), bring improved 4G coverage to communities including Bontddu, Llanelltyd, Llanarmon Dyffryn Ceiriog, Penmaenpool, Tabor, Snowdonia National Park, and Bontgoch. Local businesses, emergency services, and residents are expected to benefit from faster internet access, which supports daily communication, business opportunities, and economic growth.

There is a £170 million agreement with Openreach to provide gigabit-capable broadband to 70,000 remote Welsh properties

Technology Secretary Peter Kyle said: “Fast, reliable connectivity is essential for modern life and should be available from Cardiff to the remotest parts of Wales. Today’s upgrades bring us closer to making this a reality.”

SUPPORTING DIGITAL INCLUSION

As part of the rollout, Peter Kyle and Telecoms Minister Sir Chris Bryant visited Ebbw Vale to discuss digital inclusion with charity and industry leaders. They met with representatives at BGfm, a digital inclusion hub in Blaenau Gwent, to learn about how connectivity impacts daily life in Welsh communities.

Telecoms Minister Bryant said: “We are working tirelessly to make sure rural communities aren’t left behind online.

“These upgrades mean businesses can now operate without connectivity limitations, 999 services are better equipped to respond, and residents and tourists can stay connected across the Welsh countryside.”

ADDRESSING CONNECTIVITY GAPS

An estimated 1.5 million homes across the UK remain without internet access, limiting people’s ability to access essential services such as banking and healthcare. In addition to the SRN upgrades, the Chancellor has allocated over £500 million in next year’s budget for digital infrastructure expansion, targeting these underserved areas.

Welsh Secretary Jo Stevens highlighted the importance of this investment, particularly for rural Wales, where fast, reliable internet can be transformative.

“Connectivity is critical for day-to-day life in rural areas – from supporting local businesses to ensuring emergency services are just a call away,” Stevens said.

The upgraded masts, previously limited to EE customers and emergency 999 calls, now serve a wider user base, bringing essential internet access to more people without requiring new infrastructure.

Ben Roome, CEO of Digital Mobile Spectrum Limited, said: “With the activation of five new SRN sites, Wales is seeing the tangible benefits of the Shared Rural Network, bringing crucial connectivity to rural communities.”

GOVERNMENT INVESTMENT IN REMOTE WALES

The improvements come alongside a £170 million agreement with Openreach to provide gigabit-capable broadband to 70,000 remote Welsh properties, helping future-proof digital access in even the most isolated locations.

The latest upgrades mark another step in the Government’s mission to improve mobile coverage and close the connectivity gap across Wales, creating opportunities and supporting economic growth across rural communities.

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