Winners and losers in planned hospitals shake-up

A PUBLIC consultation is being launched which could see some West Wales hospitals losing services.

- BRUCE SINCLAIR

Hywel Dda University Health Board's Clinical Services Plan focuses on nine healthcare services that are "fragile and in need of change", it has said.

The services, and potential changes at the four main hospitals of Carmarthen's Glangwili, Llanelli's Prince Philip, Haverfordwest's Withybush and Aberystwyth's Bronglais, are critical care, emergency general surgery, stroke, endoscopy, radiology, dermatology, ophthalmology, orthopaedics and urology.

There are no changes to how people access emergency care (A&E) or minor injury care as part of the consultation, with an ongoing separate consultation on minor injury care at Prince Philip.

These nine clinical services were selected because of risks to them being able to continue to offer safe, high-quality services or care in a timely manner, the board has previously said.

At the May 29 meeting of the board, members agreed to back a public consultation, running to August 31, on the proposed changes, with many different options in each of the nine services across the area, with some hospitals gaining or losing services, along with community site options in some cases.

In the case of critical care, there are three options:

■ Intensive care units kept at Bronglais and Glangwili. An enhanced care unit would be provided at Withybush and Prince Philip. Another enhanced care unit would also be developed at Glangwili, so the intensive care unit at Glangwili can focus on the sickest patients.

■ Patients at Prince Philip or Withybush needing specialist critical care would be transferred to Glangwili.