News
Welsh Government must ‘get a grip’ on NHS dental crisis says Crabb
PRESELI MP Stephen Crabb has once again been vocal about the lack of NHS dental care available in Wales under new Welsh Government imposed contracts.
Another local dental practice, ‘mydentist’ located in Quay Street, Haverfordwest has made the decision to return their NHS contracts to Hywel Dda University Health Board effective 30 November. This will mean that from 1 December ‘mydentist’ will no longer be providing NHS dental care for existing patients and will not be taking on any new NHS patients.
Many constituents continue to contact Mr Crabb worried about availability of dental appointments before the cut-off date, and the long term impact of reduced NHS services on dental hygiene in Pembrokeshire.
Mr Crabb has previously questioned the First Minister of Wales Mr Drakeford MS on this, and written to Health Minister Eluned Morgan, MS Minister for Health and Social Service regarding the poor provision of dental services in the region.
Commenting on the latest announcement, Preseli MP commented: “It is deeply concerning to hear the news that yet another dental surgery in Pembrokeshire will no longer be offering NHS appointments from 1 December. This is yet another example of Welsh Government dragging their feet on an important issue.”
“My inbox continues to fill up with emails from constituents who are anxious about how they are going to fund their dental work due to the lack of NHS provision locally.”
“Welsh Government must get a grip and address this before the problem deteriorates further and stop forcing patients into financial difficulty through promoting private dental care over NHS.”
Local Senedd Member Paul Davies has expressed his frustration over news.
He said that the news comes as a particular shock, given that the First Minister himself has said that over 17,000 more patients are receiving NHS dental care in the Health Board area and that the Welsh Government has made extra investment to ensure more people can access NHS dental services.
Mr Davies said, “It’s deeply disappointing to see more dental practices handing back their NHS contracts to the local Health Board and I know this will be a blow for patients. Access to NHS dental services has long been a problem in Pembrokeshire and yet, when challenged, the First Minister simply won’t acknowledge the severity of the problem and instead maintains the view that thousands more NHS dental appointments have been made available.”
He added, “I continue to receive a significant amount of correspondence from people across Pembrokeshire regarding dental services. Many are living in discomfort and pain and it’s simply not good enough. The Welsh Government and Hywel Dda University Health Board need to recognise that this is a crisis and redouble their efforts to attract dentists providing NHS care to the area.”
EMERGENCY services were called after a car crashed into a house on Nun Street in St Davids on Thursday (Apr 24).
Dyfed-Powys Police and Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service attended the scene at around 4:35pm following reports of a single-vehicle collision.
On arrival, they found that a car had collided with a residential property. Fortunately, no injuries were reported.
The road remained open while the vehicle was recovered.
A spokesperson for Dyfed-Powys Police said: “Dyfed-Powys Police attended a report of a single-vehicle road traffic collision where a car collided with a property on Nun Street, St Davids, at around 4:35pm yesterday. No injuries were reported, and the road remained open while the vehicle was recovered.”
POLICE are appealing for information to help locate a 54-year-old man who has been reported missing from the Milford Haven area.
Neil is described as being around 6ft 2in tall with a shaved head. He has tattoos on his arms and one of his fingers, and sometimes wears glasses.
He was last seen on Friday afternoon (Apr 26) wearing a black Superdry hoodie, ripped jeans, and orange and black Nike Air trainers. Neil is believed to be on foot.
Anyone with information that could help is urged to contact Dyfed-Powys Police: 
| Online portal
| 101@dyfed-powys.police.uk
| Call 101, quoting reference 262 of April 26.
Wales joins UK’s largest firefighting aid convoy
MID and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service (MAWWFRS) has taken part in the UK’s largest ever convoy delivering vital firefighting equipment to Ukraine, joining 17 other Fire and Rescue Services (FRSs) from across the country.
The convoy, coordinated by FIRE AID and supported by the UK Government, left the UK in early April. It travelled through France, Germany and Poland, delivering over 30 fire service vehicles and more than 15,000 items of equipment to support Ukrainian firefighters on the front line of the ongoing war.
Since the Russian invasion in 2022, UK fire services have donated 119 vehicles and over 200,000 pieces of equipment to Ukraine. Each participating service ensured local needs were met before donating surplus kit.
Watch Manager Rob Kershaw represented MAWWFRS on the convoy. He said:
“It’s been a privilege to be part of this convoy and to represent both FIRE AID and Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service.
We received invaluable support and assistance from fire and police services across every country we passed through. Their help in coordinating, escorting, and hosting the convoy was outstanding.”
Chief Fire Officer Roger Thomas KFSM added:
“MAWWFRS is proud to support our colleagues in Ukraine by donating and delivering essential equipment.
The events in Ukraine have deeply affected the fire and rescue community, and this convoy is a demonstration of our ongoing commitment to helping those still working under extreme conditions.”
The donated equipment will support firefighters in Ukraine who continue to operate in war zones to save lives and protect property—often at great personal risk. Since the conflict began, 100 Ukrainian firefighters have been killed and 431 injured. A total of 411 fire stations and 1,700 firefighting vehicles have been destroyed.
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