Hospital safe but no guarantee over services

8:26am Sunday 28th October 2007

Comments (0)   Have your say »

Assembly Health Minister Edwina Hart promised Withybush Hospital is safe, but wouldn't guarantee services won't change when she visited the hospital on Friday.

Speaking to the Western Telegraph afterwards, she said: "Withybush is absolutely secure and here to stay.

"It will have to be changed, that is the future, but there's room for development.

"It's got a very bright future."

However, she could not give any promises about the services the hospital would deliver in the future.

"I can't guarantee there won't be service changes, but my certainty is as long as they are safe services I want to see them maintained."

Mrs Hart also said that the proposed merger of the Pembrokeshire and Derwen, Ceredigion and Mid Wales, and Carmarthen NHS Trusts would have no impact on patient services.

"It's about administrative issues - it will not impact on patient services," she continued.

"There's no connection. The whole issue of administrative changes is, in the long-term making good administrative changes which will help the trust fund."

Mrs Hart said she was aware of current concerns over Withybush's maternity ward becoming midwife-led.

"Midwives are wonderful and there are lots of midwife run services across the country that are first-class. But the journey to Carmarthen is a concern. I have asked my officials to look at it.

"The clinicians have to be clear what they want and it's they who have raised this issue, so I will take it forward."

Mrs Hart also admitted that dentistry was another concern and said it is one key public health issue for her.

"We have got additional resources in and figures are being collected for me and will be available by December to see how we can improve services.

"Everybody has got to have access to an NHS dentist if they want one."

Finally, Mrs Hart said ward sisters needed to be given more power to help combat MRSA and hospitals should use in-house cleaners.

"It is a disgrace and I accept there will be infections, but the levels in the UK beggar belief. However, the statistics are better in Wales.

"Most of our cleaners are in-house and there's an issue with cleaners being part of the team - contract cleaning has been very damaging."

Mrs Hart said she was very impressed by the staff at Withybush and added that people in Pembrokeshire should be very proud.