News
Council launches social care campaign to support the NHS and those most in need

PEMBROKESHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL has launched Operation Nightingale 23, a campaign to support and reduce pressure in our hospitals.
The Council is acutely aware of the considerable challenges currently being experienced within the NHS in Wales including within our local hospital at Withybush.
Withybush has a significant numbers of patients who need to leave hospital but are waiting for an assessment of continuing care need or the right care package in the community.
Under Op NG 23, Pembrokeshire County Council will deliver a variety of measures to help increase the flow of patients out of hospital including:
- the short-term redeployment of staff into community support roles
- additional social work capacity
- the redeployment of existing social care capacity into the hospital teams to prioritise patient care assessment and care package allocation
This will also include the engagement of community groups and volunteers to allow people to safely leave hospital and return home.
The Authority will be looking to its partners and communities for support across a variety of contributing activities that have the potential to have an immediate impact.
Last week the Welsh Government Minister for Health and Social Services
Eluned Morgan MS visited Pembrokeshire County Council and received a briefing on Operation Nightingale 23.
Cllr Tessa Hodgson, Cabinet Member for Social Care and Safeguarding, said:
“We understand that pressures around bed capacity, discharges from hospital and challenges around the provision of care packages in the community, all impact negatively on our most vulnerable citizens.
“Some of the challenges that the council is experiencing in social care are shared across the health sector, not least of all with regard to workforce, winter flu and the ongoing impact of the Covid-19 virus.
“We acknowledge the significant impact this has on those in hospitals and care, and for their families. As part of our work we want to get the best results for everyone.”
It is as a result of these acute pressures, particularly at this time of year, and the risk they create, that Pembrokeshire County Council has decided to launch Operation Nightingale 23.
Cllr Hodgson adds: “This will see the authority and in particular the social care directorate step up to a critical response mode, in order to develop immediate and short term innovative responses to the current pressures, to improve flow of patients out of hospital, and to reduce pressure on our colleagues in the NHS.”
The Authority will review how it can effectively embed this work in the medium to long term, to face the challenges of an aging population for the good of this generation and those to come.
Steve Moore, Chief Executive for Hywel Dda University Health Board, said: “Our hospitals continue to be extremely busy with many sick patients and continuing high demand for emergency and urgent care. This means patients are waiting longer than we would want them to.
“This is always the most difficult period of the year, and we are managing the complexity of flu, Covid and increased urgent and emergency care demand.
“Currently, we have around 300 patients who are medically fit for discharge across the Hywel Dda region. This equates to over a third of the number of beds in our hospitals.
“Operation Nightingale 23 will help to free up some of those beds allowing us to treat patients more quickly and we are grateful to our colleagues in social care in Pembrokeshire for prioritising this work to free up capacity in the system.”
Community
Castle Ward Councillors Meet at Waldo Lounge to Discuss Residents’ Concerns

ON MONDAY (Mar 11), County Councillor Thomas Baden Tudor, alongside Councillors Randell Izaiah Thomas-Turner and Dani Thomas-Turner from Haverfordwest Town Council, held a joint meeting at the Waldo Lounge.
The gathering provided an opportunity for the councillors to address issues raised by Castle Ward residents and discuss matters of local concern. Councillors were joined by representatives from Welsh Ambulance Services University NHS Trust and Haverfordwest, Fishguard, and St Davids Police, who provided valuable updates on their current and future plans.
Councillor Tudor expressed his gratitude to the services for their insightful contributions, which highlighted ongoing efforts and future projects aimed at improving public services in the area.
Education
Children learn how delicious potatoes are produced locally in Pembrokeshire

SCHOOL children from across Pembrokeshire, aged from five to 16, learnt how the food produced locally is delicious and nutritious during a highly successful ‘Food Story / Stori Bwyd’ event, held by the Pembrokeshire Agricultural Society.
During the event potato, dairy, sheep and poultry farmers from all over the county volunteered their time to talk to the children and give hands-on demonstrations. They explained to the children how they produce potatoes, dairy products, eggs and meat. They also demonstrated how they farm sustainably, look after local wildlife and how they care for the countryside.
The event was held on the Pembrokeshire County Showground and the focus was on potato growing, production and supply. The children also got the opportunity to taste locally produced jacket potatoes with a variety of toppings cooked perfectly and served by staff from Castell Howell.
Kathy Wilson, a former teacher and now an Honorary Pembrokeshire Show Governor, organised the event on behalf of the Society’s Food Story / Stori Bwyd. She said, “I would like to say a massive thank you to each and every one of the volunteers and who took two days out from their busy work on the farm to come and talk to the children and demonstrate how they produce food and drink. A big thanks also to the local providers who contributed to the event. The smiles on the faces of the children said it all, they listened intently, enthusiastically took part in the demonstrations and the teachers took resources back with them to their schools to continue the learning.
“One of the important elements of Pembrokeshire Agricultural Society’s work is educational and spreading the word around the county about how local food is produced by farmers. Everyone enjoyed eating the jacket potatoes after they had learnt how hard the farmers work to produce them.”
As well as food production, the event was an opportunity to teach the children about the seasonality of what farmers produce locally and how the weather and climate affects the work farmers do as well as the different food groups and healthy eating.
Adam Thorne, Pembrokeshire Agricultural Society’s President was one of the farmers who volunteered their time to talk to school children at the event. He said, “The Society would like to thank Kathy Wilson and Jo in the show office for all the hours they have put in to organise this magnificent event. To see how much the children enjoyed learning how their food is produced through hands-on demonstrations is heart warming.”
Pembrokeshire Agricultural Society would like to thank NFU Mutual Pembrokeshire, the CLA Charitable Trust and Women in Wales, for their financial support. Thanks also to the Camrose Vintage Working Day for their support as well as the NFU, Wales Farm Safety and Puffin Produce for providing educational resources and buckets for the schools and pupils.
Food Story volunteers will be at the County Show on 20 and 21 August 2025 with an interactive display and demonstrations for children to have fun and take part in to learn where their food comes from.
News
A477 crash at Carew roundabout causes major delays

A CRASH on the A477 at Carew roundabout caused significant traffic delays this morning (March 13).
The collision, involving two vehicles, occurred at around 10:20am. Dyfed-Powys Police confirmed that no injuries were reported.
The road was closed while recovery teams worked to clear the vehicles, leading to heavy congestion in the area.

A police spokesperson said: “Dyfed-Powys Police received a report of a two-vehicle road traffic collision on the A477 at Carew roundabout at around 10:20am today (March 13).
“No injuries have been reported. There are delays in the area due to high volumes of traffic. Recovery is at the scene, and the road will reopen once the vehicles have been recovered.”
Traffic in the area remained slow while recovery operations continued.
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