Dear Editor, - As consultants at Withybush Hospital, we would like to correct errors of fact appearing in your otherwise excellent summary of the current situation in Withybush Hospital (January 12th).

There have been a succession of ward closures at the hospital since 2002-2003.

First ward 14 and then wards 11 and 12 were closed, initially for refurbishing, but remaining closed because of cost-saving issues and nursing staff shortages.

On Christmas Eve 2004, ward two was closed, with ward 12 beds re-opening.

This represented an overall 23 bed loss to the hospital. No beds have been re-opened in wards which had not previously been closed.

Some high dependency beds have been built, but are not yet staffed or fully equipped, and will only amount to a further seven.

These are likely to be permanent losses because there are now plans to build an endoscopy suite on the closed ward two, which was formerly the dedicated gynaecology ward.

Gynaecology patients are now housed in a mixed gynaecology and surgery ward (ward four). Ward four has been under great pressure due to shortage of beds for the past year or more, and remains under pressure, as do most other wards in the hospital.

In 2002, in the document A Question of Change, the National Assembly recommended that 85% of beds should be occupied at any one time. Withybush Hospital currently runs at 92-98% bed occupancy, causing significant difficulties in admitting patients who require beds, both for emergencies and planned operations.

Dr R. Bradshaw, consultant radiologist; Dr R, Cooke, consultant anaesthetist; Dr R. Cross, consultant anaesthetist; Dr H. Grubb, consultant haematologist; Dr Haq, consultant in palliative care; Miss M. R. Howells, consultant gynaecologist; Dr G. Melville-Jones, consultant pathologist; Dr N. Jowett, consultant physician; Major Kafeel Ahmed, acting consultant in accident and emergency; Mr P. Kanse, consultant orthopaedic surgeon; Dr T. Lewis, consultant physician; Mr W. A. Maxwell, consultant surgeon; Mr P. Milewski, consultant surgeon; Dr V. Narayan, consultant paediatrician; Dr R. Parry, consultant radiologist; Dr G. E. Phillips, consultant orthopaedic surgeon; Dr M. Sheppard, consultant microbiologist; Dr A. Thomas, consultant anaesthetist; Dr G. Vas Falcao, consultant paediatrician; Dr A. Vaishnavi, consultant physician; Dr V. Vipulendran, consultant paediatrician; Mr A. Withanage, consultant surgeon Dr M. Wort, consultant anaesthestist.