AN OPTICIANS in Haverfordwest is proving that the traditional Saturday job is far from dead, offering young people practical experience, transferable skills and a genuine pathway into long-term careers.

With figures suggesting almost one in eight people aged 16–24 are not in education, employment or training, the decline of weekend work has increasingly been cited as a barrier to young people becoming workplace-ready. But the locally owned and run Specsavers Haverfordwest is bucking that trend by actively recruiting and supporting young staff.

The store currently employs Kyle Ashbourne, 16, who has worked weekends as a trainee optical assistant since November while studying at college. The role provides hands-on experience in customer service and retail, alongside an introduction to the technology and processes involved in eye examinations and the wider optical profession.

Speaking about his experience, Mr Ashbourne said: “Working at Specsavers alongside my studies has been a great experience. I’ve developed my confidence and communication skills and learnt a lot about customer care and the optical industry. The flexibility of weekend work really helps me balance my job with college, and I feel supported to develop my skills for the future.”

Weekend roles at the store typically involve welcoming customers, supporting appointments and learning how the practice operates day to day. For many young people, it is their first experience of the workplace, helping them build confidence and develop skills that extend well beyond retail.

Specsavers Haverfordwest store director Andy Britton said weekend positions can play a crucial role in opening doors. He said: “A Saturday role is an ideal way for young people to gain early insight into the profession while picking up valuable, real-world experience in a supportive environment.

“It’s not just about earning money. It’s about building confidence, learning how to work as part of a team and developing strong communication and customer service skills that will serve them well throughout their lives. Many of our colleagues started in weekend roles and have gone on to enjoy long and rewarding careers with us, which we’re proud to support.”

Specsavers offers a range of career routes, from retail and customer service to clinical roles in optics, with ongoing training and development opportunities designed to help staff progress.

For more information, or to book an eye examination or hearing check, call Specsavers Haverfordwest on 01437 767788 or visit the store’s website.

Concerns over workforce pressures, social care and long waits resonate strongly in Pembrokeshire

The health of the nation must be placed at the heart of the next Welsh Government’s agenda, NHS leaders have warned, as the countdown to the Senedd election reaches 100 days.

With health and the NHS consistently ranked among the public’s top priorities, NHS leaders across Wales are urging all political parties to commit to five major changes aimed at improving population health and securing the long-term sustainability of health and social care services.

The call comes from the Welsh NHS Confederation, which represents senior NHS leaders across the country. It is urging parties to set out clear and credible plans in their election manifestos, warning that without decisive action, existing pressures will continue to intensify.

The issues highlighted are already familiar to many communities in Pembrokeshire, where residents regularly raise concerns about access to GP appointments, pressure on hospital services at Withybush, delayed discharges linked to social care shortages, and workforce recruitment challenges across health and care settings.

At the top of NHS leaders’ priorities is the creation of a cross-government strategy on prevention, aimed at tackling health inequalities and reducing avoidable ill health. They argue that without joined-up action across areas such as housing, education, transport and social services, the NHS will remain locked into responding to crisis rather than preventing it.

Other priorities include strengthening the health and social care workforce, creating joint financial and performance frameworks to support better integration between services, stabilising the social care sector, and developing a long-term strategy for NHS estates and infrastructure — including digital transformation.

The recommendations follow a survey of 95 NHS leaders from across Wales, reflecting both the immediate pressures facing frontline services and the longer-term challenges expected to worsen over the coming years.

Darren Hughes, director of the Welsh NHS Confederation, said the organisation was urging all political parties to take the five priorities seriously as polling day approaches.

He said the proposals were grounded in the lived experience of those working at the heart of the health and care system.

“Unless there is a cross-government plan to reduce inequalities and preventable ill health, the NHS and care sectors will merely be working harder to stand still, consuming an ever-increasing slice of the new Welsh Government’s money,” he said.

Mr Hughes warned that demographic change was already driving demand sharply upwards, with Wales’ population becoming older, frailer and living with more complex long-term conditions — trends that are particularly evident in rural and coastal counties such as Pembrokeshire.

“Our population is getting older, frailer and sicker with ever increasing demand for services, including more people with multiple long-term conditions needing more complex care,” he said.

He added that data showed worsening population health and demographic change would continue to push demand higher, even as NHS organisations are required to deliver significant efficiencies simply to maintain current service levels.

The Confederation also cautioned against viewing NHS pressures in isolation, such as long waits for appointments or treatment, noting that these are symptoms of wider, whole-system challenges spanning health and social care.

“So often issues are looked at in isolation,” Mr Hughes said. “But these pressures are symptoms of wider, whole-system challenges. Without bold, long-term action across government, the NHS and social care will struggle to keep pace with the needs of the people of Wales.”

With just over three months until voters go to the polls, NHS leaders say the decisions taken by the next Welsh Government will be critical — not only for the future of the NHS, but for communities like Pembrokeshire where health, social care and local services are deeply interconnected.

Vale cancer delay case and Maesteg hospital dispute trigger fresh political backlash

TWO separate controversies have reignited debate over health services in Wales, following fresh claims about delays in cancer care in the Vale of Glamorgan and an escalating political row over the future of Maesteg Community Hospital.

Vale mum’s cervical cancer diagnosis after years of symptoms

Jessica Mason, from Penarth, says she spent years seeking help for worrying symptoms including pain, swelling and bleeding before she was diagnosed with cervical cancer requiring urgent treatment.

Ms Mason has described repeatedly going back and forth for appointments and feeling she was “fobbed off” before the problem was eventually taken seriously. She says she only secured further investigation after “breaking down in tears” and pressing for answers.

The case has prompted renewed discussion about how women’s symptoms are assessed, and the importance of timely escalation for specialist checks when patients report persistent or worsening problems.

Maesteg hospital campaign turns into political row

In a separate dispute, the Welsh Liberal Democrats have accused Labour of spreading misinformation as campaigners continue to press for clarity on the future of Maesteg Community Hospital.

The party claims Labour figures, including Huw Irranca-Davies MS, have publicly suggested that Dean Ronan — the Liberal Democrat Senedd candidate for Afan Ogwr Rhondda and a campaign organiser — refused to engage with the health board and declined meetings.

Mr Ronan has rejected the allegation, insisting he has never been contacted by the health board about the hospital and could not have refused a meeting that was never offered. He has challenged Labour and the health board to publish evidence to support their claim.

The Liberal Democrats say the campaign has been community-led and cross-party, involving local supporters including the League of Friends, independent councillors and candidates from across the political spectrum. They have called for the public record to be corrected and for any claimed correspondence to be made public.

The health board has also faced criticism over the quality of public engagement around the hospital’s future, with local residents and campaigners seeking reassurance over services, beds and what could happen to the site.

Politics, pressure and public confidence

While the two stories relate to different parts of Wales and different issues — cancer pathways in one case and local service planning in another — both have become flashpoints in a wider political argument over NHS performance, transparency and public trust.

Welsh Conservative MS Andrew RT Davies has now cited Ms Mason’s case in a strongly worded attack on Welsh Government priorities, issuing the following statement:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

DAVIES: “Vale mum’s cancer treatment wait shocking”

South Wales Central Conservative MS Andrew RT Davies has condemned Senedd ministers after a Vale mum waited years for a cervical cancer diagnosis.

Jessica Mason went back and forth with swelling, bleeding and pain in her vagina but was repeatedly “fobbed off”.

After being referred for a scan after “breaking down in tears”, cancer was discovered that required urgent treatment.

Mr Davies said:

“For years, Plaid Cymru separatists and Labour starved our Welsh NHS of resources.

“The hundreds of millions spent on 36 more Senedd members, a Nation of Sanctuary for asylum seekers and an Anti-Racist Wales Action Plan should have gone towards treating patients like Jessica.

“Her appalling case shows how Senedd ministers’ warped priorities are putting lives at risk.”