News

Doctor: ‘Glangwili will not cope’

Published

12 years ago

June 2, 2014

THE PEMBROKESHIRE Herald has received the explosive full text of a letter sent by a senior clinician at Withybush Hospital, which condemns the Health Board’s proposals for future paediatric care in Haverfordwest as “untested” and “untried”.

The open letter, from Paediatrician Martin Simmonds, was sent to the Board a week after it announced plans to transfer key neonatal services away from Withybush as of August 1. Dr Simmonds letter, exposes the fact that clinicians DO NOT endorse the Health Board’s policy and have grave reservations about the Board’s decision to press ahead regardless of clinician’s concerns.

The Herald’s article (Big Holes in Board’s “safety net”) in our May 9 edition revealed startling deficiencies in the Health Board’s rationale underpinning ending service provision at Withybush. It now appears that the concerns of campaigners and families who contacted us before that article (“Big Holes in Health Board’s Safety Net”) are shared by those clinicians which the Health Board has claimed support the changes being made.

Peter Milewski, a retired consultant surgeon who worked at Withybush for many years, told the Herald: “It feels like a train crash is about to happen.”

Open letter to Hywel Dda University Health Board

Please reconsider the proposed Paediatric service model for Withybush Hospital. It must be postponed. This may be our last opportunity to be heard and have our concerns communicated to the Health Board Executive. At a meeting earlier this year (of the dozens I have attended), I said that although not our preferred model a PAU model could be considered if the middle grade rota couldn’t be sustained. It was an untested, untried suggestion without research or risk assessment. A few months later it emerged as the Health Board’s preferred service model. I note that historically the public have received reassurances that these decisions were “clinician led”. I understand the importance of this statement to give credibility to the plans. However, a Health Board statement says that the majority of clinicians support this plan. I am not one of them. I do not know of any Paediatricians in Hywel Dda who have given their support to this service model. Work undertaken by two senior nurses at Withybush, both of whom I regret to say are now absent through illness, have produced research indicating that the risk assessment for a PAU here indicates that it is neither safe or resilient enough to serve the needs of the local population this remote from the hub Paediatric inpatient base. We keep being told to provide answers and not to continually raise concerns and objections to the proposals. The impression is that until we provide the “desired” answer we are hindering the Health Board’s attempt to move forward. We are not “yes” men, we are professionals working in a vocation we are passionate about, with a fear that irreversible harm will occur if the current proposals go through. It has become increasingly difficult to have confidence that our concerns reach the Health Board. Tensions and divisions amongst staff are emerging as the “who knew what and when” charade continues. Don’t tell us NOT to mention potential clinical scenarios in the future that are of “low frequency”. Don’t insult our intelligence or compassion. We are not shroud waving; we just feel it isn’t as safe a service as it should be. Glangwili will not cope with the additional work coming its way this winter, either physically or with respect to workforce issues. Families will end up travelling out of hours from here to Glangwili and then instructed to go to Bronglais to be admitted. We will have babies with bronchiolitis that have to be transferred in an ambulance despite potential deterioration en route because if we insisted on keeping them here to administer supportive treatment, I would be guilty of professional misconduct. A&E staff have only one Consultant with Paediatric experience: that is not sufficient to say they can manage out of hours. I don’t expect the current reliance on locum middle grades to be sustainable once they learn of the absence of local Paediatric support at night. Our concerns: 1. I am not a conspiracy theorist but when the Chairman and Chief Executive elect to move on this summer and the two most senior Paediatricians in Glangwili opt for unexpected early retirement before August 1 it is concerning. 2. Midwifery led services and A&E appear to have been given reassurances about the level of Paediatric support they can expect that we do not recognise in the proposed Paediatric model. 3. Our nurses have spent a considerable amount of time involved in Estates planning at Glangwili. Estates, up until last week I believe, didn’t even know about a planned PAU located within ward 14. This does not give the impression of any concern about how Withybush will manage a seismic change in service in August. You can imagine how valued that makes our staff feel. Please tell them that Dr Simmonds got it wrong about the PAU model, go public and punish him as you see fit. I would rather be a “fall guy” to save the Health Board’s blushes than have the whispered comments in the years to come that I was the architect of this proposal. Tell them we can staff a 24- hour Paediatric unit at Withybush with recently secured middle grade staffing. No, tell them we demand a 24-hour service here such that we can admit a child overnight and discharge the next morning or administer phototherapy for the jaundiced baby from St Davids who must otherwise travel to Glangwili for admission. Tell them we can develop a specialist Paediatric nurse role in A&E but that it will take time. Tell them that unless we stop this process now, this winter will see greater challenges and upset than there needs to be, adversely affecting the health of families and staff both here and at Glangwili. Martin Simmonds Paediatrician Withybush Hospital.

The Pembrokeshire Herald asked the Health Board for a response to Martin Simmonds’ letter. A Health Board spokesperson said: “We welcome the fact that Dr. Simmonds has recognised that change is needed and we want to reassure our patients and we are continuously working with our clinical teams and Welsh Government to find the right solutions and ensure ‘safety nets’ are in place as instructed by the Minister following an independent review of these services by an expert panel. The safety of these services is paramount and we are being very clear that only when we are confident our solutions are safe and sustainable will we implement them.”

Education

Pembrokeshire school named second in Sunday Times guide

Published

4 minutes ago

December 5, 2025

Luke Sinclair

A Pembrokeshire secondary school has been recognised among the very best in Wales, securing a leading position in a major national education guide.

Ysgol Bro Preseli in Crymych has been ranked the second-best state secondary school in Wales in the 2026 Sunday Times Parent Power Guide, a long-established benchmark for academic performance across the UK. Only Cowbridge School placed higher.

The annual guide, regarded as one of the country’s most authoritative assessments of school standards, compiles data from more than 2,000 state and independent schools. It also offers a range of practical advice for families, including guidance on scholarships, the 11-plus, and choosing the right school.

Helen Davies, editor of the Parent Power Guide, acknowledged the pressures facing the education sector but praised the commitment shown by schools nationwide. She said: “The educational landscape is testing – budget challenges, rising student mental health issues, special educational needs and an increasingly uncertain future.

“But there is also so much to celebrate from the dedication of teachers who are finding ever more innovative and impactful ways to enrich their students and give them the very best start in life.

“As well as celebrating the academic excellence of the top schools, it is uplifting to see how they are shaping their students to be ready for the 21st century, and instilling a lifelong love of learning.”

In addition to its strong showing within Wales, Ysgol Bro Preseli secured 263rd place in the UK-wide rankings. Elsewhere in the state secondary table, Ysgol Gyfun Penweddig was placed third in Wales, with Ysgol Eirias in Colwyn Bay following closely behind.

Now in its 33rd year, the Parent Power Guide was published online on Friday, 5 December, with the print edition set to appear on Sunday, 7 December. Final positions are determined by year-on-year performance, supported by editorial judgement.

The full rankings and analysis are available via The Sunday Times digital edition, and the guide remains a trusted resource for families seeking a clear picture of school performance across the UK.

Crime

Swansea man dies weeks after release from troubled HMP Parc: Investigation launched

Published

12 hours ago

December 4, 2025

Tom Sinclair

A SWANSEA man has died just weeks after being released from HMP Parc, the Bridgend prison now at the centre of a national crisis over inmate deaths and post-release failures.

Darren Thomas, aged 52, died on 13 November 2025 — less than a month after leaving custody. The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman (PPO) has confirmed an independent investigation into his death, which is currently listed as “in progress”.

Born on 9 April 1973, Mr Thomas had been under post-release supervision following a period at HMP/YOI Parc, the G4S-run prison that recorded seventeen deaths in custody in 2024 — the highest in the UK.

His last known legal appearance was at Swansea Crown Court in October 2024, where he stood trial accused of making a threatening phone call and two counts of criminal damage. During the hearing, reported by The Pembrokeshire Herald at the time, the court heard he made threats during a heated call on 5 October 2023.

Mr Thomas denied the allegations but was found guilty on all counts. He was sentenced to a custodial term, which led to his imprisonment at HMP Parc.

Parc: A prison in breakdown

HMP Parc has faced sustained criticism throughout 2024 and 2025. A damning unannounced inspection in January found:

Severe self-harm incidents up 190%
Violence against staff up 109%
Synthetic drugs “easily accessible” across wings
Overcrowding at 108% capacity

In the first three months of 2024 alone, ten men died at Parc — part of a wider cluster of twenty PPO-investigated deaths since 2022. Six occurred within three weeks, all linked to synthetic drug use.

Leaked staff messages in 2025 exposed a culture of indifference, including one officer writing: “Let’s push him to go tomorrow so we can drop him.”

Six G4S employees have been arrested since 2023 in connection with alleged assaults and misconduct.

The danger after release

Deaths shortly after release from custody are a growing national concern. Ministry of Justice data shows 620 people died while under community supervision in 2024–2025, with 62 deaths occurring within 14 days of release.

Short sentences — common at Parc — leave little time for effective rehabilitation or release planning. Homelessness, loss of drug tolerance and untreated mental-health conditions create a high-risk environment for those newly released.

The PPO investigates all such deaths to determine whether prisons or probation failed in their duties. Reports often take 6–12 months and can lead to recommendations.

A system at breaking point

The crisis at Parc reflects wider failures across UK prisons and probation. A July 2025 House of Lords report described the service as “not fit for purpose”. More than 500 people die in custody annually, with campaigners warning that private prisons such as Parc prioritise cost-cutting over care.

The PPO investigation into the death of Darren Thomas continues.

Crime

Woman stabbed partner in Haverfordwest before handing herself in

Published

12 hours ago

December 4, 2025

Court Reporter

A WOMAN who stabbed her partner during a drug-fuelled episode walked straight into Haverfordwest Police Station and told officers what she had done, Swansea Crown Court has heard.

Amy Woolston, 22, of Dartmouth Street in Milford Haven, arrived at the station at around 8:00pm on June 13 and said: “I stabbed my ex-partner earlier… he’s alright and he let me walk off,” prosecutor Tom Scapens told the court.

The pair had taken acid together earlier in the day, and Woolston claimed she believed she could feel “stab marks in her back” before the incident.

Police find victim with four wounds

Officers went to the victim’s home to check on him. He was not there at first, but returned shortly afterwards. He appeared sober and told police: “Just a couple of things,” before pointing to injuries on his back.

He had three stab or puncture wounds to his back and another to his bicep.

The victim said that when he arrived home from the shop, Woolston was acting “a bit shifty”. After asking if she was alright, she grabbed something from the windowsill — described as either a knife or a shard of glass — and stabbed him.

He told officers he had “had worse from her before”, did not support a prosecution, and refused to go to hospital.

Defendant has long history of violence

Woolston pleaded guilty to unlawful wounding. The court heard she had amassed 20 previous convictions from 10 court appearances, including assaults, battery, and offences against emergency workers.

Defending, Dyfed Thomas said Woolston had longstanding mental health problems and had been off medication prescribed for paranoid schizophrenia at the time.
“She’s had a difficult upbringing,” he added, saying she was remorseful and now compliant with treatment.

Woolston was jailed for 12 months, but the court heard she has already served the equivalent time on remand and will be released imminently on a 12-month licence.