A LOCAL campaign group say Hywel Dda’s promise to not close Withybush Hospital is 'meaningless' and 'irrelevant'. 

In response to a Senedd petition wanting Withybush to retain 24 hour, seven days a week, consultant led urgent care, Hywel Dda released a statement insisting the hospital will not be closing.

Campaigners have hit back in sensational fashion calling out the health board’s assurances, which they say bears no relevance to the issues at hand.

The ‘Save Withybush Campaign’ say their campaign is not against the closure of Withybush as a whole, but its downgrading.

“Nearly everyone in Pembrokeshire has a horror story about this,” said a spokesperson for the campaign. “The ambulance service is already at breaking point. Our argument is that the downgrading and closure of A&E cannot and will not ever be safe.”

Campaigners say they have already seen a downgrading of the hospital noting the removal of the Special Care Baby Unit (SCBU) and consultant led maternity in 2014, and then the removal of Emergency Paediatrics to Glangwili in 2020.

The group claims these moves are crippling families, causing undue stress, prolonged travel times and financial burden for people in Pembrokeshire.

A recent statement from Lee Davies, director of strategic development and operational planning for Hywel Dda, was described as 'meaningless' by action group leaders.

In a press statement sent to the Western Telegraph, Mr Davies said the ambition of the health board was to move from a service that treats illness to one that keeps people well and provides help early on.

However, campaigners say the statement was irrelevant when you hold it against the health board’s plans to close A&E.

Save Withybush highlighted that Pembrokeshire is an unusual county that needs a health service that can respond to very specific needs.

The county is home to industrial hot spots such as the Valero Oil and Gas refinery, and receives a huge population boost during the holiday tourism seasons. Without a fully functioning A&E campaigners think thousands of lives will be put at risk. 

The health board’s recent Programme Business Case, which is available to view on Hywel Dda’s website, outlines several options which are under consideration for the future planned infrastructure and hospital footprint if a new-build hospital near St Clears goes ahead.

The options listed range from ‘minor’ though to ‘maximum’ with ‘likely’ potential redevelopment scenarios for the Withybush site.

Page 206 of the plan titled ‘Opportunities and Observations’ is said to clearly show a potential redevelopment plan for Withybush where the A&E would be demolished while the main hospital footprint would be vastly reduced in size.

Campaigners say this demonstrates the health board’s intention not just to downgrade the hospital and to remove its A&E but to sell off the remaining land as well.

The spokesperson for the group added: “These plans are not only unsafe but have been based on an out-of-date consultation which was worded in such a way that people were not given the opportunity to object to the proposed closures or to the new build hospital.”

Save Withybush Campaign is planning a rally for Saturday, April 23, from 12 to 1.30pm outside Withybush Hospital.