Hywel Dda Health Board is urging residents to continue to be cautious and to put their health and safety first during the big freeze.

The health board has managed to maintain services across the three counties of Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire, despite the continuing bad weather.

The board said that Withybush Hospital’s Accident and Emergency units is busy, due to both general activity and some accidents caused by the weather such as slips on ice, but incidents are not above what is expected at this time of year.

“We aren’t seeing particularly high levels of admissions as many people have been staying indoors unless absolutely necessary,” said medical director Dr Simon Mahon.

“However, our hospitals are very busy as it has been extremely difficult over the past few days to actually get patients home safely.

“We have opened additional beds and are working closely with colleagues in the ambulance service and making use of 4x4 vehicles for both staff and patients.

“I must pay tribute to our staff, many of whom have struggled through difficult conditions to get into work. Many of them are sharing lifts, working additional hours if they live in town and some have even stayed in hospital over-night to be available to start work the next day.”

The Health Board has continued with emergency procedures and the majority of elective work and out-patient clinics, although some have been cancelled due to increased activity, staffing levels and patient cancellations.

Dr Mahon urged people to continue to exercise caution in the coming days. “People are now venturing outdoors but we would urge them to continue to be cautious and put their health and safety first. It is often at this time that accidents happen,” he said.

“We would also continue to remind patients to make use of NHS Direct (0845 46 47) and the GP Out-of-Hours service and to only use A&E Departments for emergencies.”