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.”

HYWEL DDA UNIVERSITY HEALTH BOARD will hold an Extraordinary Board meeting over two days next month to consider the future model for nine key services included in its Clinical Services Plan.

The meeting will take place on Wednesday, February 18 and Thursday, February 19, 2026, and will focus on options for change in critical care, dermatology, emergency general surgery, endoscopy, ophthalmology, orthopaedics, stroke, radiology and urology.

The Health Board recently consulted with local communities on proposals designed to tackle service fragilities, improve standards and reduce waiting times for people needing diagnosis and treatment.

Mark Henwood, Executive Medical Director, said the current model cannot continue.

“We know that these services are fragile and cannot continue as they are. Our clinical teams are spread across multiple sites and recruitment is an issue across the NHS,” he said.

“Our hospitals require ongoing maintenance, with some parts approaching or having reached the end of their intended lifespan. We need to make decisions on the changes needed to address these fragilities, so our services raise standards and meet the needs of our population into the future.”

An independent consultation report prepared by Opinion Research Services (ORS) has now been received and is available on the Health Board’s website. The report summarises feedback from the public consultation, including more than 4,000 questionnaire responses, alongside views gathered at public events, staff meetings and stakeholder sessions. More than 4,000 people also attended Health Board events and meetings during the consultation.

At the February meeting, Board members will consider the ORS report alongside a wider evidence pack, including an update on what has changed since the Issues Paper was published in March 2024. The Issues Paper set out the challenges facing the nine services and why change was needed. The update brings together the latest information on workforce and service resilience, the condition of estates, operational pressures, regional working, new clinical standards and how services link to each other.

The Board will also review refreshed impact assessments, which set out the likely effects of the proposed changes on people, services and the environment, and how negative impacts could be reduced. These include Equality Impact Assessments (EqIAs), looking at the impact on people with protected characteristics and Welsh language needs, and Quality Impact Assessments (QIAs), considering patient safety, effectiveness and experience.

Health, environmental and climate sustainability impacts will also be considered, alongside transport analysis for emergency transfers and non-emergency patient transport, and programme assessments covering capital requirements, workforce and finance.

As part of the decision-making process, proposals will be assessed on whether they are clinically sustainable, deliverable, accessible, aligned with the Health Board’s long-term strategy, and financially sustainable.

In some cases, the Board may make provisional decisions which require further engagement or additional information before a final option is agreed. The Board will also consider how any changes could be implemented and whether this would need to happen in phases.

The Health Board said it has worked with clinical leaders to develop the options, and that consultation feedback is a vital part of the process. Alongside the options consulted on, Board members will also consider alternative ideas put forward during the consultation.

Dr Neil Wooding, Chair of Hywel Dda University Health Board, thanked those who took part.

“Thank you to everyone who shared their views during the consultation. The Board will be carefully considering the independent ORS consultation report alongside the latest evidence and impact assessments,” he said.

“The consultation report provides an important foundation for our discussions, but it is one of several factors that we must consider. We have a responsibility to weigh public feedback together with clinical evidence, workforce considerations, sustainability challenges and the need for services to meet the highest possible standards.”

“These decisions will shape our services for the longer term, so it is essential that we take the time needed to reach well informed, balanced conclusions. Above all, we must ensure that the services we provide meet people’s needs, both now and into the future.”

Lee Davies, Executive Director of Strategy and Planning, said the aim of the plan is to strengthen services and improve outcomes.

“Community and staff feedback helps us focus on what matters most to people, while programme assessments show what is practical and safe to deliver,” he said. “Together, we will identify changes we can make now, those that need more detailed planning and where further engagement is the right next step.”

The Extraordinary Board meeting will be broadcast online. Board papers and a link to the meeting will be published on the Health Board’s website a week in advance.

More information on the Clinical Services Plan, including the full ORS report, is available on the Health Board’s website.