THE Save Withybush Action Team (Swat) has drawn up its response to the controversial plans for the future of healthcare in west Wales.

Swat's Designed for the Future document features in-depth proposals to maintain Withybush on its current site and create a Pembrokeshire Health and Social Care Consortium.

That would involve merging both the Pembrokeshire and Derwen NHS Trusts and Local Health Boards to create a joint role of provider and purchaser of health care.

The Swat project team said: "We have too much waste in the health service tied up in excessive managerial and administrative costs. There is significant duplication of managerial services at all levels and this is an area where significant reductions can be made without directly affecting front line clinical services."

Swat envisages that the care consortium would be managed by a board made up of consultants, senior nurses, GPs and senior social services employees working in partnership.

Designed for the Future adds: "There will be no chief executive and no Trust boards, which in itself will create significant savings for the NHS in Wales."

Using evidence from multiple sources, Swat maintains that keeping Bronglais, Glangwili and Withybush on their current sites "is essential to improve quality, maintain sustainability and ultimately be more cost effective."

The Swat Designed for the Future document was drawn up in response to the original Designed to Deliver publication which first proposed options one and two - closing Withybush and Glangwili in favour of a brand new hospital between Haverfordwest and Carmarthen, or moving some Withybush services to Glangwili.

The document will now be presented to the public, the Community Health Council and the Designed to Deliver team.