Hywel Dda Health Board prepared for changes, says First Minister

The Welsh Government is “satisfied” that “all transitional arrangements” will be in place before service changes to maternity and paediatric care at Withybush Hospital come in in August, First Minister Carwyn Jones has said.
On Tuesday (13 May), at Assembly question time, Mid and West Wales AM Joyce Watson asked for assurances that all arrangements necessary to support the service changes would be in place by August. She said:
“First Minister, can you confirm when the service changes at Withybush and Glangwili hospitals will come into effect?
“More critically, can you confirm that all transitional arrangements will be in place before any of the service changes come into effect?”
The First Minister answered:
“I can confirm that the intention is to put the arrangements in place by August. I can say that officials have met recently with the health board and are satisfied that all transitional arrangements necessary to give effect to these changes are, or will be, in place by August. It is important, of course, to give that assurance to people in the local area.”
The changes at Withybush Hospital include moving to a 12-hours-a-day paediatric service and a three-bed midwife-led maternity unit. The First Minister confirmed that there are no plans to reduce 24-hour emergency care at the hospital. He added:
“May I also say to the Member that it has to be said, in terms of the position as regards 24-hour care—emergency care in the hospital—that that will be retained? I know that there was concern among the people of Pembrokeshire that that might be reduced to 12 hours a day, but that is not the case and that is not what the board wants to do.”
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