A protest last year in Cardiff against cuts to services at Withybush hospital

AN ONLINE petition to bring back 24 hour paediatric services to Withybush General Hospital in Haverfordwest has gained over 2000 signatures in only a few hours.

The change.org appeal, started by hospital campaigner Myles Banford-Lewis was launched on social media today and has received a ground-swell of support.

Hospital campaigners Myles Balford-Lewis and partner Jasmine McGinley

Myles said: “I am petitioning the Hywel Dda Health Board and Mark Drakeford, the Health Minister to return 24 hour Paediatrics to Withybush General Hospital. Back in August 2014 the Hywel Dda Health board and the Labour Welsh Assembly pushed through a policy of centralisation to Glangwili Hospital in Carmarthen. This now means that there is no Special Care Baby Unit, 24 hour Children’s Ward (currently running on a limited 12 hour service) and no 24 hour antenatal care at Withybush Hospital.

He added: “This in itself has had a completely negative impact on health care in south west Wales with many families being forced to travel for over an hour to reach the healthcare they need at Glangwili. Moreover this has also caused a great deal of hardship on these families, myself included as we have been forced to drive in some cases over 100 mile round trip to reach these service.

“Sometimes even further as Glangwili is often full up with children from both counties. Lives have been put at risk by the removal of services in the Pembrokeshire locality and this is wholly unacceptable in this day and age. Severely ill children that would otherwise be seen locally and stabilised locally are now having to wait for a transport team based in Bristol to come down to Haverfordwest to drive a child to a hospital nearly an hour away for treatment.

“This ambulance (and there is only one to cover everywhere from Ceredigion to Oxfordshire) can take several hours to arrive. It took eight hours to transport my own daughter from Withybush to Glangwili before Christmas. The problems that the current centralisation policy has caused are horrendous to families and need addressing immediately. We need our services back starting with the children’s ward which can be returned to 24 hour status in the quickest possible time.”