Hywel Dda Health Board said it is working with local authorities to make emergency deliveries to patients who need critical or essential medication but cannot collect it, due to the adverse road conditions.

The health board is working together with GP Practices and community pharmacies, to-coordinate emergency deliveries across the worst effected areas in the community.

Local authorities are providing drivers with 4x4s to collect and deliver critical medication.

Hywel Dda Health Board’s Chief Executive Trevor Purt said: “This service has been developed in response to unprecedented conditions across the region and aims to provide reassurance to those residents most affected that help is available to ensure their critical medication is received.”

The service started in Pembrokeshire on Saturday, January 9th. It is already operational in Ceredigion and should be rolled out in Carmarthenshire imminently.

The Environment Agency has also offered the services of its fleet of 4x4s to assist the health service in the Dyfed-Powys area.

The vehicles will be used for a variety of means, but primarily to enable frontline clinical staff to get into hospital and community settings, enabling them to continue providing care to patients.

“We usually use these vehicles when we have a lot of rain and people are threatened by flooding," said Ged Davies, from Environment Agency Wales.

"Now, a different kind of weather is causing problems for local communities so we are only too happy to help the hospitals in any way that we can."