Prince Philip Hospital to be Downgraded

By Jonathan Williams

Hywel Dda Health Board have today announced the results of their consultation and also launched their Your Health Your Future programme.

The programme sees:

• Prince Philip A & E being replaced by an accident centre staffed by nurses.
• Community hospitals closing at Mynydd Mawr, Tregaron and Aberaeron
• Srvices lost from Tenby and Pembroke Dock.
• £40m investment for community centres to develop so-called “virtual wards” – at Aberaeron, Cardigan, Carmarthen, Cross Hands, Crymych and Whitland.
• Staff from Tenby and South Pembrokeshire hospitals to be redeployed to Withybush and GP surgeries taking over minor injuries service.
• Obstetric services to continue at Bronglais, Glangwili and Withybush hospitals
• Paediatric high dependency care to be centralised at Glangwili.
• Prince Philip Hospital will become a specialist centre for breast cancer care.

A statement on The Health Board’s website said:

Hywel Dda Health Board has officially launched its vision to provide a world class health service today (August 6).

The 12-week consultation – Your Health Your Future Consulting our Communities – will give people a chance to have their say on the health board’s proposals to improve services in Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire.

The exercise is a response to the Welsh Government’s Together for Health programme, which will see all health boards in Wales making plans to ensure their services are meeting local need now and in the future.

The aim is to provide the highest quality healthcare in the most appropriate setting, as close to home as possible, at the time it is needed and with improved outcomes for patients.

The health board has been listening and engaging with clinicians and stakeholders about potential service changes since 2010. From December 2011 to the end of April 2012, the Health Board entered an unprecedented listening and engagement exercise with local people, staff and stakeholders to be clear on what services it currently has and what it needed to put in place for the future.

Feedback from this exercise has been used to formulate options outlined in this official consultation period which will run until October 29, 2012.

Chairman Chris Martin said: “We want to provide safe, sustainable services of a high quality for the present and future generations of our area.

“We are a person centred organisation and recognise the importance of giving our public, our staff and our stakeholders the chance to influence our thinking at an early stage.We have reflected on the concerns raised during the listening exercise and refined and shaped our proposals in light of what we heard. We must ensure any proposed new or changed services are fit for purpose and fit for the future, they must be person-centred, high quality, modern, safe, sustainable and affordable.”

The consultation proposals suggest solutions to a number of long-term challenges faced by the NHS, including an aging population, difficulties in recruitment and retention of clinical staff and the challenges of providing healthcare in a mainly rural location with urban areas within the resources available.

Chief Executive Trevor Purt said: “Some of the changes we hope to make will happen more quickly than others. We have a three to five year plan – so you will not see changes to some hospital services until we are satisfied that we have the appropriate services available in our communities.

“I wish to emphasise that your views are essential in what is the most important and significant healthcare consultation process we have seen in Mid and West Wales.

“The consultation document forms part of an online resource centre where people can get more information: www.hywelddahb.wales.nhs.uk/Consultation

The news was what campaigners from CIHS/Sosppan and Llanelli residents had feared, the downgrading of Prince Phillip Hospital. CIHS/Sosppan volunteers have campaigned tirelessly to keep an A & E in Llanelli which is the most populated Town within Hywel Dda’s area but now sadly it all appears to have been in vain.

Plaid Cymru councillor Gwyneth Thomas, who is also a staff nurse at A&E at Prince Philip Hospital, told the BBC that she fears patients’ lives could be at risk.

“The unit treated well over 30,000 patients last year. Where will people go for emergency treatment.”

“It’s very disappointing indeed that no notice has taken of the very strong concerns on people in Llanelli, including the 24,000 who signed a petition opposing downgrading.”

Tony Flatley of CIHS/Sosppan writing on the Save Our Services at Prince Phillip Hospital Facebook page said:

“We attended the Consultation document release by Hywel Dda this morning and this is what happened.”

“Well over the next few hours and days you going to hear how Hywel Dda Health Board have now killed off emergency services here in Llanelli. We are almost certainly the largest town in Wales (if we take out the cities) and they have now proposed we have a Nurse Led Local Accident Centre where you can go to have a plaster put on.”

“Save your self a journey and go to your local chemist or surgery.”

“The wishes of the peole of Llanelli have been pushed aside and the petition ignored but we fight on now and if need be go through the courts but fight on we will !!!”

“We have been treated with contempt by the health board and now we must make them rue the day they tried to take our hospital away from us.”

Sue Davies, also wrote that:

“Well so much for consultation looks like they have ignored us (what a surprise) noticed Bronglais was not mentioned on the news update.”

It appears that CIHS/Sosppan have not given up the fight and are organising a public meeting in September/October. If anyone has any questions that they would like the Health Board to answer then CIHS/Sosppan would like you to send them to them.

Click here to find out more about CIHS/Sosppan.