RESIDENTS of Pembrokeshire who are worried about plans to ‘downgrade’ Withybush to a ‘community hospital’ are planning further protests against this decision.
Withybush’s future has been uncertain for many years with several protests against the perennially unpopular decision already being staged by concerned local people eager to have their voices heard outside the under-threat hospital and even outside the Senedd in Cardiff Bay.
A Hywel Dda Health Board report dated Thursday, January 27, states that “consolidating services” like trauma, emergency surgeries and Accident & Emergency services into fewer sites “will improve standards, service resilience and a shift towards 24-hour, 7-day models of care”.
Under plans unveiled by Hywel Dda, Withybush would be ‘repurposed’ into a community hospital with a 24/7 urgent care centre led by GPs which would only be capable of dealing with minor injuries like upper body injuries, infections, head injuries, illnesses, animal or insect bites, some broken bones, minor burns and eye injuries.
A yet-to-be-built urgent and planned care hospital, expected to be built somewhere between Narberth and St. Clears, would deal with more serious injuries.
Hywel Dda Health Board has said that “further work with our clinical partners and the public to engage on what our service pathways look like” will be undertaken.
The ‘Save Withybush’ Facebook group, which is planning a new wave of protests, has seen a drastic increase in its members since Hywel Dda’s plans were unveiled.
‘Save Withybush’ member Jaqueline Doig said: “How can an entire county be left without A&E (emergency care) provision at a general hospital?”
“It is a rural area with a wide-spread and isolated population, bad road links and poor public transport provision. The population of 125,000 can easily be boosted by four million tourists” Jaqueline said.
“Pembrokeshire people have been campaigning to save services and their hospital for years,” Jaqueline continued “but they are not listened to – why? Why should Pembrokeshire be treated so shabbily?”
The first of the new wave of protests is scheduled to take place from 11am on Wednesday, February 23, the middle of half term.
If you want to be a part of efforts to save Withybush, you can find the group on Facebook here.
