News

GP shortage ‘caused by Withybush downgrades’

Published

11 years ago

September 22, 2015

docs PEMBROKE residents have expressed concerns about reduced opening hours in the town’s doctors surgery as a result of a shortage of doctors. Since September 1, the surgery at St Oswald’s has closed at 1pm on weekdays. Until then, it had been open until 6.30pm on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The surgery, a member of the Argyle Medical Group which also has practices in Pembroke Dock and Neyland, serves Pembroke, Monkton, and a number of outlying communities in the area. The surgery in Pembroke Dock will remain open from 8am – 6.30pm.

However, concerns have been raised about how the reduction of provision in Pembroke will affect elderly patients, or those with reduced mobility. Speaking to The Herald, Practice Manager for the Argyle Medical Group Juliet Goldsworthy confirmed that the reduction in surgery hours was a deirect result of staff shortages: “We’re two doctors down at the moment – its a common problem across Wales,” she said.

Safety was apparently a major consideration for the shorter opening hours. The practice was unwilling to let one doctor work at the surgery alone. “Its about managing the surgery safely andwe can’t do that at the moment,” Ms Goldsworthy added.

When we asked how long the staff shortage had been a problem for, she said that the staffing shortages were ‘relatively recent,’ though admitted that they had ‘struggled on’ over recent months. However, staff holiday time had meant that they were unable to keep the current provision. “The first doctor left about 18 months ago, and we lost another one 12 months ago,” she added.

“We have been advertising in national publications, but haven’t had any response. Accepting that the situation for patients was ‘far from ideal,’ she said that the problem was an all-Wales issue. Ms Goldsworthy confirmed that the practice had 10.75 FTE (full-time equivalent) doctors.

There are around 25,000 patients registered with the practice, which equates to 2325 patients per GP. Several years ago, the average number of patients per GP in Wales was 1640, and while Ms Goldsworthy said that this had risen to around 1900-2000, she still acknowledged that Argyle Street still did not meet these levels.

“Its not ideal – it puts a lot of pressure on both patients and doctors,” she added. Ms Goldsworthy pointed out that Argyle Street employed full-time nurse practitioners, who worked supporting GPs, as well as a full-time pharmacist who could ease the burden on doctors with work related to medication. “We were one of the first practices to take on a full-time pharmacist,”she added. “The health board seems to be looking more at approaches like this now. I understand that patients hanker for days gone by, but times have changed.”

With regards to the opening hours at St Oswalds, Ms Goldsworthy told us that if two new doctors could be recruited the situation would be reviewed after six months. At present, she said that the practice has been advertising ways for those unable to drive to attend the Argyle Street Surgery to travel there more cheaply.

“Services like country cars, and public transport can save people money on taxis,” she pointed out. Ms Goldsworthy emphasised that the surgery would still be open in mornings, and that hopefully people who would struggle to get to Pembroke Dock would be able to attend then. “We do visit a lot of people at home, if they are unable to get out. Our visiting rates are quite high,” she added. She pointed out that a shortage of GPs could lead to a continuing problem, because constant staff-shortages would lead to an increased workload, and the job becoming less attractive for medical trainees.

“There is talk of a ‘Golden Hello’ in Wales, but I’m not sure what is going to become of that,” she said. Concerningly, Ms Goldsworthy agreed with other commentators, including Simon Hart MP, who has previously said that a reduction in service provision at Withybush will lead to a knock-on effect on the county’s medical community.

“As Withybush downgrades and less doctors come to work there, their partners, who often used to work in surgeries won’t come here either, leading to the health community shrinking. We had a doctor who worked with us who was fantastic, but his wife worked in paediatric care, and when the department in Withybush downsized she had to move to Swansea to find work.

“There may also be issues with GP training at the hospital.” Speaking to The Herald, MP Simon Hart agreed that Issues faced by Withybush Hospital were a definite contributing factor in staffing problems across the medical community in the area: “From what I can discover there is a definite connection between recruitment and uncertainty over Withybush. For once the problem is not entirely about money,” he said.

“For the County to be able to attract Doctors and their families, they need to assure them that the services have a future and that there is certainty as far as their jobs are concerned. The Welsh Labour Government continues to fail in this regard and our county suffers accordingly.” We asked Hywel Dda University Health Board whether this was a fair reflection, and what if anything could be done to attract more GPs to the county.

At the time of going to press The Herald had received no reply. A spokesperson for Hywel Dda UHB said: “We would strongly urge caution when drawing ‘definite’ links between recruitment issues at a hospital and GP level as there is no absolute or clear evidence for this. GP recruitment is challenging across Wales, this is well documented, and we are experiencing this in areas across Carmarthenshire and Ceredigion as well as Pembrokeshire.

“Whilst we are taking clear actions to address recruitment at our hospitals, we have numerous responses to recruitment challenges at a GP level. For example, we are in the process of developing a Primary Care Support Team to offer support to Practices with workforce issues to which we have successfully appointed a GP clinical lead and three Advanced Practitioners, due to start shortly.

“We are also supporting the development of other roles that can provide patient care in General Practice working alongside GPs. For example, Argyle Surgery have employed a practice based pharmacist to support the GPs on a day to basis. This is alongside developing portfolio GP roles to increase the appeal of working in the Hywel Dda area to those wanting diversity within their role.”

News

St Davids lifeboats launched twice in one day after yacht damaged and kayaker rescued

Published

25 minutes ago

May 30, 2026

Tom Sinclair

BOTH St Davids RNLI lifeboats were launched on Wednesday (May 27) after separate incidents involving a damaged yacht in St Brides Bay and a kayaker who had become separated from his craft in Ramsey Sound.

The all-weather lifeboat Norah Wortley was first tasked at 3:12pm to assist a yacht in St Brides Bay after its mast snapped and its sails were lost during gusts in a thunderstorm.

The lifeboat launched at 3:27pm and made its way to the scene, encountering patches of fog and thundery showers en route. Conditions were otherwise described as smooth to slight, with good visibility and winds of between three and five knots.

The volunteer crew arrived at 4:00pm and found the yacht had also lost engine propulsion. A tow was established and the vessel was taken safely to a mooring in Dale.

The yacht was secured to a buoy before the lifeboat departed at 7:00pm. The crew returned to station at 8:00pm and the boat was back on service by 8:15pm.

While the all-weather lifeboat was still at sea, St Davids’ inshore lifeboat was tasked at 5:18pm to a kayaker who had become separated from his kayak.

The crew launched at 5:35pm and headed to the south end of Ramsey Sound, off Treginnis Head. The casualty was located on Shoe Rock, where crew members helped him aboard and carried out a medical assessment.

The kayaker had been wearing a buoyancy aid and had a means of calling for help, allowing him to dial 999 and ask for the Coastguard after becoming separated from his kayak.

He and his craft were safely returned to Porthclais Harbour, and the inshore lifeboat returned to station, where it was back on service at 8:00pm.

RNLI inshore lifeboat helm Chris Limbert said: “This rescue was a brilliant example of why it’s so important to always wear a buoyancy aid and carry a means of contact.

“If the kayaker had been without a buoyancy aid, he may have struggled to stay afloat and get himself safely onto the rock.

“He was also carrying a mobile phone which allowed him to call 999 and ask for the Coastguard.

“Our crew of volunteers are on call 24/7 to go to people’s aid. Never be afraid to call for help.”

Pic: RNLI/Rosie Rees

Crime

Haverfordwest sex offender jailed over child abuse material

Published

4 hours ago

May 30, 2026

Court Reporter

Registered offender used library computers to hide social media accounts

A HAVERFORDWEST sex offender who used public library computers to exchange child abuse material and discuss the sexual abuse of minors has been jailed for 20 months.

Euwyn Draper, aged 22, of Hill Street, Haverfordwest, appeared at Swansea Crown Court after admitting four breaches of a sexual harm prevention order.

Recorder Greg Bull KC told him the courts had “bent over backwards” to assist him in the past, but said those efforts had failed.

He told Draper: “I’m not going to lecture you because I would be wasting my breath. You knew you had to comply with the order.”

Secret accounts

The court heard that Draper had been made subject to a 10-year sexual harm prevention order in 2024 after earlier convictions for possessing and distributing indecent images of children.

The order banned him from holding social media accounts in any name other than his own and required him to disclose relationships or friendships to police when asked.

Despite this, Draper secretly maintained accounts on a number of platforms, including X, formerly Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat and BlueSky. The BlueSky account had been registered under a false name.

His use of Snapchat was specifically prohibited because of the platform’s auto-delete function.

Library computers

Prosecutor Megan Williams said Draper’s latest offending came to light on May 5 this year during a routine meeting with his offender manager at Haverfordwest police station.

When asked about his internet use, Draper claimed he only went to the library to watch YouTube and listen to Spotify. He denied having any social media accounts or communicating with anyone online.

But as questioning continued, he became “flustered” and admitted he had been chatting to a male online and had an X account which had not been disclosed to police.

Officers attended the library with Draper the following day to examine his digital activity.

After he logged in using his library ID and opened his Google account, police reviewed his X profile and found sexually explicit conversations between Draper and another male in which the pair discussed sexual activity involving children aged five and above.

The court heard that explicit photographs had also been exchanged.

Police also discovered that Draper had reinstalled Instagram after previously deleting the account in front of officers.

Previous offending

Draper has three previous convictions for 14 offences.

In April 2024 he was given a suspended prison sentence and made subject to the sexual harm prevention order for possessing and distributing child sex abuse images.

Within months, he breached the order by maintaining an undisclosed social media account. In September 2024 he was jailed for 16 months for possession of further indecent images.

When interviewed about the latest breaches, Draper answered “no comment” to all questions.

‘Immature young man’

Alex Scott, defending, described Draper as an “immature young man” who lived an isolated life in rented accommodation and acted “impulsively” in relation to social media.

He said Draper had co-operated with police by accompanying officers to the library and recognised the need to address the underlying causes of his behaviour.

Jailed

Draper had previously pleaded guilty to four counts of breaching a sexual harm prevention order.

After giving him a one-third discount for his early guilty pleas, Recorder Bull sentenced him to 20 months in prison.

Draper will serve up to half of the sentence in custody before being released on licence to complete the remainder in the community.

Local Government

Milford Haven school redevelopment moves a major step closer

Published

4 hours ago

May 30, 2026

Tom Sinclair

£141.6m scheme could transform education in the town

A MAJOR step forward has been taken in the long-awaited Milford Haven Schools Redevelopment project after Pembrokeshire County Council’s Cabinet approved the Outline Business Case for the £141.6 million scheme.

The decision, made on Wednesday (May 27), means the business case can now be submitted to the Welsh Government for consideration.

The ambitious project would see a new combined campus built on the current Milford Haven School site, bringing an English-medium primary school together with the secondary school, with some shared facilities.

The plans also include a 40-place Flying Start centre and a specialist Learning Resource Centre for 24 pupils with additional learning needs.

A new Welsh-medium primary school is also planned for Milford Haven, providing Welsh language education in the area.

Alongside the schools redevelopment programme, a new leisure centre will be created. Thornton Sports Hall is set to be demolished as part of the wider changes.

The next stage will be for the council to submit a Full Business Case to the Welsh Government before final approval can be given and construction can begin. Contractors are expected to be on site next year, with the new school buildings due to open in 2030.

The scheme has been discussed for many years, with local families, pupils, staff and the wider community waiting for meaningful progress towards modern education facilities for the town.

There has also been criticism locally over the slow pace of the process, including concerns about Welsh Government bureaucracy and the requirement for repeated business case approvals before funding decisions are finalised.

However, the Cabinet decision marks a significant milestone for one of the largest education projects ever proposed in Pembrokeshire.

If delivered, the redevelopment has the potential to transform education, childcare, Welsh-medium provision, additional learning needs support and leisure facilities for future generations in Milford Haven.