Hywel Dda frontline health and support service staff working tirelessly to maintain patient care.

Frontline health and support service staff have been working around the clock and through the challenging weather in Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire to maintain patient care.

Emergency and urgent care is prioritised and due to the difficulties and dangers of the adverse weather particularly in Pembrokeshire, all planned (elective) procedures, day cases, endoscopy and outpatient clinics in Withybush Hospital, Haverfordwest, have been cancelled for Friday March 2. Patients are being contacted to inform them of this and procedures will be rescheduled at the earliest opportunity.

Planned care in Bronglais Hospital, Aberyswtwyth,  Glangwili Hospital, Carmarthen, and Prince Philip Hospital, Llanelli, remain largely unaffected and continue as usual. Where there are smaller scale individual postponements or changes to clinics, patients are being contacted directly.

Across the three counties community staff, such as district nurses,  have also continued to care for patients in their own homes, despite the conditions. And many of our support staff, from estates to hospital cooks and switchboard operators, are in work as usual today assisting patients and medical teams.

Chief Executive Steve Moore said: “Thanks to the absolute dedication and resolve of our staff, we have been able to safely maintain the vast majority of our hospital and community services during the last 24 hours. I would like to thank all staff and patients for their support and also our communities who have rallied with help such as volunteers and businesses offering their services from provision of accommodation for our staff to 4×4 vehicles.

“Staff and our patients must not put themselves in danger in an attempt to get to our hospitals and that is why, due to particular problems in Pembrokeshire, we have taken the decision to postpone elective work and outpatient clinics at Withybush Hospital  today (Friday March 2).”

Patients in other areas who are unsure about their clinics should phone the number on their appointment letter to check before attending, or they can contact the Outpatient Department Contact Centre on 0300 3039642.

We also encourage people to keep up to date by following us on Facebook and Twitter for updates through the day.