Row deepens over emergency services wording as health board decision sparks political clash

A POLITICAL row has erupted over planned changes to services at Withybush Hospital after First Minister Eluned Morgan accused Preseli Pembrokeshire MS Paul Davies of “scaremongering” about the future of emergency care in the county.

The dispute centres on a decision by Hywel Dda University Health Board to remove general emergency surgery from the hospital — a move that has prompted strong criticism from local campaigners and politicians concerned about patient access and travel times.

In a social media post earlier this week, Mr Davies said he was “appalled” that the Health Board had voted to remove what he described as “general emergency services” from Withybush, warning that the decision would undermine the sustainability of the hospital’s A&E department and force patients to travel further for urgent treatment.

However, the First Minister rejected that characterisation, saying the decision relates specifically to emergency surgery rather than the closure of accident and emergency services.

She said: “There’s a big difference between emergency services and emergency surgery. One affects the entire population, one affects around five people a week. You can’t shout ‘crisis’ at the first draft and quietly edit it to something completely different once the facts catch up.”

Ms Morgan also pushed back against claims that services at Withybush have been systematically downgraded, adding: “It’s still there, it’s still providing services.”

Accountability and responsibility

Health is fully devolved to Wales, meaning the Welsh Government is responsible for NHS policy, funding and oversight. While health boards make operational decisions locally, they remain accountable to Welsh ministers.

The Welsh Conservatives have consistently argued that pressures within NHS Wales — including waiting times, workforce shortages and service centralisation — are the result of policy decisions made by successive Labour-led governments in Cardiff Bay.

Mr Davies has pledged to raise the issue directly with ministers and has called on the Welsh Government to intervene, describing the Health Board’s decision as “catastrophic”.

What is changing?

Hywel Dda University Health Board says centralising certain emergency surgical procedures is intended to address staffing pressures and improve patient safety, with some cases expected to be transferred to other hospitals within the health board area.

Accident and emergency services at Withybush are not being removed and will remain in place.

The debate has reignited long-standing concern in Pembrokeshire about the future of hospital services, with previous changes over the past two decades prompting repeated public campaigns and protests.

As political tensions escalate, attention is now turning to whether Welsh ministers will step in — or whether the Health Board’s decision will proceed as planned.

EMERGENCY general emergency surgery is to be removed from Pembrokeshire’s Withybush hospital as part of a wide range of changes backed following by Hywel Dda University Health Board.

Last year, the Health Board consulted with its communities on options for change in critical care, dermatology, emergency general surgery, endoscopy, ophthalmology, orthopaedics, stroke, radiology and urology.

It said its Clinical Services Plan focuses on nine healthcare services that are “fragile and in need of change”.

At the launch of the consultation it said the services, and potential changes at the four main hospitals of Haverfordwest’s Withybush, Carmarthen’s Glangwili, Llanelli’s Prince Philip and Aberystwyth’s Bronglais, would see no changes to how people access emergency care (A&E) or minor injury care as part of the consultation.

These nine clinical services were selected because of risks to them being able to continue to offer safe, high-quality services, or care in a timely manner, the board has previously said.

The proposed changes included an option for Withybush patients needing specialist critical care being transferred to Glangwili.

Another option, in Ceredigion, included the loss of Bronglais’s stroke service, becoming a ‘treat and transfer’ hospital, with patients transferred to other hospitals in the board area, including Withybush for their inpatient stroke care.

During the consultation, communities shared an additional 190 alternative ideas for the services, which have been narrowed down to 22 alternatives to the multiple options outlined in the consultation.

At a two-day meeting into the proposed changes, held on February 18 and 19, the board backed changes into emergency general surgery which will see no emergency general surgery operations taking place at Withybush, but a strengthening of the same-day emergency care (SDEC).

For the other three hospitals, there would be no change in emergency general surgery provision, other than a strengthening of SDEC at Glangwili.

Members stressed the changes would not happen overnight, with the board hearing from chief executive Phil Kloer the changes were about “improving the quality of service for the public,” adding a Pembrokeshire public-preferred option of emergency general surgery operations taking place on alternate weeks, with a similar arrangement at Glangwili, had raised concerns from clinicians and managers.

The Board also backed changes to the critical care service, which will see the current intensive care units situation remaining the same at all hospitals other than Prince Philip, which will see the Intensive care unit (with transfer of sickest patients) changed to an enhanced care unit.

Reacting to the change, local Senedd member Paul Davies MS: “I’m appalled that Hywel Dda University Health Board has voted to remove general emergency services from Withybush hospital – but I’m not surprised.

“The Health Board is obsessed with removing services from Pembrokeshire and has spent years downgrading and removing services from Withybush hospital. As one constituent has rightly said, the Board should be rebranded the Carmarthenshire Health Board, as it continues to strip assets from other hospitals in west Wales.”

He added: “Removing general emergency services critically undermines the sustainability of Withybush hospital’s A&E department and will result in patients having to be transported for urgent treatment.

“This is not acceptable – I will be taking this to the Welsh Government and urging Ministers to intervene and stop the Health Board from making this catastrophic decision.”

Politicians clash over NHS performance as latest figures show pressures remain

AMBULANCE response times for the most life-threatening emergencies in Wales have increased, according to the latest NHS performance statistics, prompting fresh political criticism and renewed concerns about pressure on frontline services.

Figures show that for “red” calls — incidents where patients are at high risk of cardiac or respiratory arrest — the median response time rose to nine minutes and 33 seconds. The 90th percentile response time also increased to 22 minutes and 48 seconds compared with the previous month.

Statisticians say these are the longest recorded times since the current ambulance performance system was introduced in July 2025 and remain above the Welsh Government target range of six to eight minutes.

The data comes alongside wider NHS performance figures which show continuing challenges across the health service, including long waiting lists and emergency department pressures.

Waiting list pressures

Across Wales, 5,252 patient pathways were still waiting two years or more for treatment in December. By comparison, England recorded 223 such waits, despite having a population around 18 times larger.

Overall, there were approximately 740,954 patient pathways waiting to start treatment in Wales in December — equivalent to nearly one in four of the population — with around 580,300 individual patients affected.

The median waiting time for treatment in Wales was 19 weeks, compared with 13.4 weeks in England.

Emergency departments also remained under strain. In January, only 63.4% of patients spent less than four hours in emergency departments, far below the 95% target, while 11,392 patients waited more than 12 hours — up 10% on the previous month.

Cancer performance below target

Cancer treatment performance also fell short of national targets, with 60.7% of patients starting treatment within 62 days of first suspicion of cancer, compared with the 75% target.

Political reaction

Reform UK Senedd Member for Brecon and Radnorshire, James Evans MS, criticised the Welsh Government’s handling of the NHS.

He said: “NHS mismanagement, by Labour Ministers and their supporters in Plaid, is posing a serious risk to life.

“Ambulance waiting times are getting worse as Plaid and Labour’s budget deal sees cash splashed on making ambulances greener.

“Reform UK would cut waste and bureaucracy to ensure that taxpayers’ money reaches the front line of our NHS.”

The Welsh Government has previously said NHS performance remains affected by high demand, workforce pressures, and the legacy of the pandemic, while pointing to gradual improvements in some waiting time measures over recent months.

Ongoing challenges

Health experts say ambulance response times are heavily influenced by pressures elsewhere in the system, particularly delays in hospital handovers and shortages in social care, which can prevent patients being discharged quickly.

For patients and families across Wales, the figures highlight continuing challenges despite efforts to improve performance.

The coming months are expected to remain difficult for NHS services as demand continues to rise, with health leaders warning that long-term solutions will require investment, workforce planning, and better integration between health and social care.