Death knell for hospital? (From Western Telegraph)

Death knell for hospital?

WITHYBUSH Hospital could close as part of a massive shake-up to health care in West Wales, it was officially confirmed this week.

On Monday the West Wales Project Board - which carried out a recent review of acute health services - unveiled two hugely controversial proposals for the future of Pembrokeshire's main hospital.

The options confirm fears voiced by hospital consultant gynaecologist Chris Overton, many of his fellow consultants and medical staff last year and taken up by the Western Telegraph.

The first proposal would see both Withybush and Carmarthen's West Wales General Hospital closing permanently.

They would then be replaced by a single, 'super hospital', to be built between Haverfordwest and Carmarthen. That new South Dyfed hospital would become the main district general hospital for the region.

Allison Williams, project manager, said the Welsh Assembly had already confirmed that funds for a new hospital would be available.

Under the second proposal, Withybush would remain open but operate with 'a more limited range of services'. The services affected have not yet been identified.

But Mrs Williams dismissed claims of downgrading: "Any change is often perceived as downgrading. That's not necessarily the case, but it's often the perception," she said.

However, Ashley Warlow, Chief Officer of Pembrokeshire Community Council dismissed the document as a 'glorified sales brochure' that should be the start of debate, not the mandate for change.

Mr Warlow added: "Although it is saddening to suggest, will the last patient leaving Withybush please turn out the lights?"

The proposals will go out to public consultation on April 3rd and as many people as possible are being asked for their views.

Chris Martin, chairman of the project board and Pembrokeshire Local Health Board, said: "It is true consultation and as such we do not have any preferred options."

Mr Martin told the Western Telegraph: "Change is a difficult process for everyone. What we want to achieve is for people to understand what the options will mean if they come to the conclusion that a new-build is the way forward. Or, if they look at maintaining Withybush and making Carmarthen the main hub for the Dyfed area, and what that means in real terms for some services."

Mrs Williams said things had to change: "To get the full benefit for patients we need to change the way our hospitals work. The changes transforming healthcare and hospitals mean that the status quo is not an option.

"That's why the consultation is focused not on whether we change, but on how we change."

The proposals also include Pembrokeshire and Derwen NHS Trust merging with their Carmarthenshire and Ceredigion counterparts.

According to the project board this will ensure "that resources are released to focus better on front-line patient services."

Dr Charles Merrill, medical director of Pembrokeshire and Derwen NHS Trust, acknowledged that both proposals would face huge opposition.

But he added: "The Trust has been struggling to provide a high quality service to the people of Pembrokeshire. These plans will be a big help in that.

"As a doctor, I try to provide the highest quality care for every patient. Having a hospital system that permits me to work in better conditions and provide a better range of service to patients is an exciting prospect."

Pembrokeshire Local Health Board will be expected to work far more closely with Carmarthenshire and Ceredigion LHBs and develop a single secondary care structure.