Plans for a £1bn-plus shake-up of healthcare in west Wales have moved a step closer with the launch of a consultation asking members of the public to help decide which one of three potential locations will be the site of a new hospital. The proposals to totally transform how healthcare is provided across Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire were first unveiled in 2018.
Central to the plans is the construction of a new urgent and planned care hospital complete with an A&E department. A number of potential locations were discounted last year, leaving three sites - all located near the towns of Whitland and St Clears at the western end of Carmarthenshire - in the running to become the home of the new hospital. You can keep up to date with the latest Carmarthenshire news by signing up to the local newsletter here.
Despite fears that either or both Glangwili Hospital in Carmarthen and Withybush Hospital in Haverfordwest could close as part of the shake-up, Hywel Dda bosses have always stressed that this would not be the case. However, under the plans, both sites would be repurposed and become community hospitals, while Bronglais Hospital in Aberystwyth and Prince Philip Hospital in Llanelli would remain largely the same.
The three sites now in the mix to be the location of the biggest hospital in west Wales are outlined below:
Whitland Spring Gardens
Agricultural land located to the north-east of Whitland less than a mile from the town centre. It’s between the A40 to the north, Whitland rugby pitch to the east, and Spring Gardens homes to the south.
Whitland Ty Newydd
Agricultural land and buildings forming part of Ty Newydd Farm. The site is to the east of the old Whitland creamery site and the town centre, and the A40 is less than one mile to north.
St Clears
This site is located to the west of St Clears, less than a mile to the town centre and close to Pwll Trap.
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The health board has said it does not have a preferred site out of the three noted above, and it has launched a consultation in an attempt to assess which one is the best and most practical for the majority of the public. Maria Battle, chair of Hywel Dda University Health Board, said: “A new urgent and planned care hospital is part of our strategy to be able to re-provide more care in community settings, by having a sustainable hospital model fit for future generations. This will improve and increase the specialist care services that can be provided in Hywel Dda and tackle some long-standing challenges, including old hospitals, problems in maintaining medical rotas over several hospitals, and staff recruitment.”
Steve Moore, the health board’s chief executive, added: "Our consultation sets out three potential sites for a new urgent and planned care hospital in the south of the Hywel Dda University Health Board area - two near Whitland and one near St Clears. We do not have a preferred site and we have not bought any site or land for this development. Purchasing a site and delivering the new urgent and planned care hospital is subject to Welsh Government funding, which is not yet confirmed, and if successful, would take several years to achieve. In the meantime, we want to continue to work with you, our communities, to prepare and deliver the best health and care services that we can.”
The consultation is open now and will run until May 19, with drop in events to be held between 2pm and 7pm on the following days and at the following venues:
- 10 March, The Great Hall, Guildhall, Cardigan
- 14 March, Selwyn Samuel Centre, Llanelli
- 16 March, Haverfordwest Rugby Club, Haverfordwest
- 21 March, Ivy Bush Royal Hotel, Carmarthen
- 24 March, Regency Hall, Saundersfoot
- 28 March, Llandybie Public Memorial Hall, Llandybie
- 17 April, Whitland Sports and Social Club, Whitland
- 21 April, Morlan Centre, Aberystwyth
- 24 April, St Clears Leisure Centre, St Clears
There will also be three online sessions, available for all to attend remotely. For more information on those events and the consultation process as a whole, you can click here.
Lee Davies, the health board’s director of strategy and planning, said: “We want to meet with and hear the views of as many people in our communities as possible during the consultation. To help members of our communities to learn more about the plans for our new urgent and planned care hospital, we have arranged a number of public drop-in events – both in-person and online – for people to share their views with us. We look forward to meeting with members of our communities during the coming weeks.”
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