At Monday 24th April’s Cabinet Questions1 Council Leader Cllr Darren Price has forced to publicly acknowledge that Carmarthenshire County Council has failed to make any formal representations on the three sites to Hywel Dda UHB regarding their plans to severely downgrade Glangwili General Hospital.
Hywel Dda University Health Board is currently consulting on its Programme Business Case to build a new urgent and planned care hospital in the west of Carmarthenshire, which will see Glangwili and Withybush General Hospitals lose services such as A&E to become “community hospitals”.
According to Hywel Dda UHB’s own 2022 Workforce Land Appraisal 2625 jobs or 68% of roles will be relocated from Glangwili with 1539 jobs or 65% of roles from Withybush2.
Havard Hughes, from Carmarthenshire Residents Action Group (CRAiG) commented:
“It is absolutely astounding that Carmarthenshire County Council have once again dropped the ball on a major issue which will profoundly affect the lives of residents. Glangwili is Carmarthen’s biggest employer with nearly 4,000 staff. The closure of the General Hospital and the relocation of over two thirds of workers will have huge implications for Carmarthen town, our transport network, local schools and communities across the County.
“Instead of responding professionally to residents’ questions, Cllr Price appeared to have a tantrum resorting to party political remarks before sheepishly being forced to admit that his Council had failed to formally respond to Hywel Dda on the sites. Nor did he confirm that Carmarthenshire had inputted to the business case for the new hospital.
“Had Cllr Price bothered to read the consultation documents he would understand that what may seem to him be “pointless”, “shallow” or “lacks depth” will turn residents’ lives upside down. Moreover, by the Health Board’s own admission some services such as maternity may no longer even be viable in Carmarthenshire should the new hospital be relocated too far to the west3.
“It is a dereliction of duty to the people of Carmarthenshire not to be actively responding to Hywel Dda on the biggest change to public services in our County for a generation. The success of any new hospital is dependent on the Council making sure the buses run properly; the planning permission exists; the homes are built; and patients can be transported from acute care to social care.”
NOTES TO EDITORS:
1 – Video link of Cabinet Meeting, 24th April 2023 https://carmarthenshire.public-i.tv/site/mg_bounce.php?mg_a_id=45162&mg_m_id=6389&language=en_GB
Synopsis (check against delivery)
Question from Mr Evans: Assuming Carmarthenshire County Council has made representations to Hywel Dda University Health Board on the [new hospital] consultation, which of the three proposed sites- St Clears, Whitland Spring Gardens or Whitland Ty Newydd- is the Council’s preferred option?”
Cllr Price described the question as “pointless”, “shallow” and “lacks depth”, before launching a verbal attack on the questioners.
The Council Leader went on to say that “this council has not made representations formally to the health board in terms of the three options.”
Supplementary Question from Mr Evans: “Any plan for a new hospital requires the close collaboration between the Health Board and the County Council, for example, planning permission; links to social care; bus services- so what level of input have you had in constructing the Programme Business Case?”
The Council Leader failed to confirm they had inputted in developing the business case referring instead to other forms of engagement, before continuing his verbal attack, instructing the members of the public demanding that they should put future questions to him in email.
2 2022 Hywel Dda Board Workforce Land Appraisal see p17 for staffing numbers and percentages https://hduhb.nhs.wales/about-us/your-health-board/board-meetings-2022/board-agenda-and-papers-4th-august-2022/agenda-and-papers-4th-august-2022/annex-c-workforce-land-appraisal-output-report/
3 Neonatal care – Appendix B1 of the 2022 Board Documents
The clinical view is that to be sustainable the neonatal service must be as far east as possible as otherwise there isn’t going to be the birth-rate to sustain the department. This was the reason that the Hywel Dda board rejected the proposed Narberth site. However, the paper goes further in saying that the clinical view was that the replacement sites would not be sustainable either over time (page 26). Hence, The Hywel Dda Board discussed the impact of all mothers needing neonatal care having to go to Singleton. See p33 and others: https://hduhb.nhs.wales/about-us/your-health-board/board-meetings-2022/board-agenda-and-papers-4th-august-2022/agenda-and-papers-4th-august-2022/appendix-b1-clinical-land-appraisal-project-discussion-report-neonatal-services-obstetrics-and-paediatrics/
4 The latest Hywel Dda Hospital Consultation can be found here New hospital site – Hywel Dda University Health Board (nhs.wales) the closing date is the 19th May 2023.
5 Elsewhere in the 2022 consultation documents Hywel Dda state that they’ve only spoken to 1% of Hywel Dda staff about the changes. See page 9 for the 1% figure. https://hduhb.nhs.wales/about-us/your-health-board/board-meetings-2022/board-agenda-and-papers-4th-au gust-2022/agenda-and-papers-4th-august-2022/annex-c-workforce-land-appraisal-output-report/
6 You can learn more about CRAiG and its campaigns www.craigsirgar.org
Ends