Shake-up of services leads to closure of Mynydd Mawr Community Hospital
Welsh health board plans closures as £40m community investment takes services closer to patients\' homes
A shake-up of NHS services in mid and west Wales has led to the announcement that Mynydd Mawr Community Hospital is to close.
The hospital and minor injuries unit are casualties of a review by Hywel Dda Health Board, which aims to shift 80% of the region’s health services into communities closer to patients’ homes.
Also to close are minor injury units at Tenby and South Pembrokeshire hospitals.
The health board is very aware of the high regard the local community holds for the hospital, but also has a duty to ensure our services and buildings are able to meet the demands of future generations
In a second shake-up, yet to be approved, a number of other services could also be closed down. These include the accident and emergency department at Llanelli’s Prince Philip Hospital, which will be replaced by an nurse-led accident centre. Prince Philip Hospital will then see new investment in dementia and orthopaedic services, becoming an orthopaedic centre of excellence for the region. In addition, a new unit will also be built at Carmarthen’s Glangwili Hospital to provide specialist care for sick and premature babies. But this proposal has led to fears the special care baby unit at Withybush Hospital in Haverford could close as a result.
The changes could also lead to the closure of community hospitals at Tumble, Tregaron and Aberaeron, with the transfer of minor injury services currently provided at Tenby and South Pembrokeshire hospitals to GPs and staff redeployed to Withybush Hospital.
The health board is proposing that, alongside the closures and changes to services, there will be a £40m investment in community health centres, which will provide a range of services including diagnostic tests, outpatient appointments and physiotherapy. These will be located at Aberaeron, Cardigan, Carmarthen, Cross Hands, Crymych and Whitland.
It is estimated the proposals will lead to a 20% reduction in acute hospital admissions.
Commenting on the decision to close Mynydd Mawr Community Hospital, Kathryn Davies, spokeswoman for Hywel Dda Health Board, said: “The health board is very aware of the high regard the local community holds for the hospital, but also has a duty to ensure our services and buildings are able to meet the demands of future generations.”
Any changes approved by the board will be made to ensure improved outcomes for our patients and to secure safe and sustainable services for the future across Hywel Dda. We will not compromise on patient care
She said the move would bring most of the region’s health services much nearer to patients’ homes.
Board chief executive, Trevor Purt, said: “We have undertaken extensive and lengthy engagement during the past two years, and more recently a formal consultation.
"We would like to remind members of the public that any changes approved by the board will be made to ensure improved outcomes for our patients and to secure safe and sustainable services for the future across Hywel Dda. We will not compromise on patient care."
However, the proposals have sparked some controversy, with the local community health council (CHC) claiming in its response to the consultation that there was a ‘clear mistrust’ of the health board by the public.
If the CHC believes the plans do not reflect the needs of the population, it could still refer them to Health Minister, Lesley Griffiths, for a final decision.
