Local AM Christine Gwyther is lobbying town and community councils, voluntary sector groups and individuals, over the future of healthcare services in West Wales. The Labour member for Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire welcomes direct input from residents of West Wales on this vital issue for the delivery of health services over the next few years and into the future, and looks forward to seeing them at the series of planned public meetings. She said: "There are many theories doing the rounds at the moment - and some of them involve the shutting of hospitals like Withybush or Glangwili. "I think that these options are absolutely premature when there are issues relating to management that need to be sorted out before you even think about making huge decisions which involve moving patients further away. "The option, I am supporting is the merger of the three trusts in West Wales and the merger of the three health boards in West Wales - at a saving of literally millions of pounds each year. This would have two benefits: The release of money to be spent on direct patient care; and a streamlined and more effective management structure." In the letter, Christine Gwyther explained that on April 3, a consultation began on the provision of acute services across Mid and West Wales. The document, Designed to Deliver, is the basis for that consultation and it has been written by health managers and board members from Local Health Boards right across the region. The consultation runs until the end of June with a series of public meetings. Contined Ms. Gwyther: "There are some very good things in Designed to Deliver -for instance, the delivery of services closer to where people live and in some cases in our own homes. In his introduction the chair of the project board – Chris Martin (also chair of Pembrokeshire Local Health Board) invites the public to come forward with ideas as to how services can be shaped in the coming years. I agree with this approach. After all, as users of the service, we know how we would like to see it run and in many cases have had experiences - good and bad - upon which to draw. "The project board say changes must be made because it is difficult to recruit staff, because consultants need to work in bigger teams and the working time directive means it may be difficult to make the 48 hour maximum working week without big changes. "However, the document then goes on to give two possible options for West Wales - and after talking extensively to doctors, patients and members of the public I feel that neither option is right for West Wales. "Option One talks about providing a new hospital somewhere between Glangwili in Carmarthen and Withybush in Haverfordwest. Whilst I welcome the potential for new investment in West Wales, the change from hospitals at Glangwili and Withybush to a new hospital in the middle would mean that our main centres of population - in South Pembrokeshire and Carmarthen town, would have to travel further for services than they do now. I simply cannot see the sense in that. "Option Two talks about moving services from Withybush in Haverfordwest to Glangwili in Carmarthen. If Carmarthen and Haverfordwest were much, much closer together this might be an option. But they are not. One thing we cannot change in West Wales is our geography. Our population is spread over a large distance. Withybush Hospital was set up 30 years ago because of the need for a district general hospital in Pembrokeshire. That need has not gone away and, indeed, with industry now coming to Pembrokeshire once again, that need will grow and grow. We need to be strengthening our local district general hospital, not weakening it." After discussing these options with her constituents and attending many public meetings in advance of the consultation, Ms. Gwyther is attracted to the idea of merging the three Trusts and the three Local Health Boards across West Wales. She said: "This possibility of merging Trusts gets a brief mention in the document. I think this should be explored. Merging Trusts and doing away with so many boards, chief executives and chairs would save literally millions of pounds each and every year - all to be spent on direct patient care. But I would like to go even further and merge Local Health Boards so that we have one covering west Wales. All the money saved could be spent on what really matters - direct patient care. Countries like Scotland operate with less bureaucracy in their health service than us, so we know it can be done. "A new, streamlined, effective management can address the staffing issues identified in the document. Moving patients around is not a sensible way forward. Getting management right is. This proposal is logical, and would reduce waste and inefficiency." Ms. Gwyther hopes that this proposal will be supported and people will make their views known to the project team who are running the consultation. She concluded: "Finally, there has been some speculation that this consultation is not meaningful, and that health service provision in West Wales is "a done deal". I do not believe that for a moment. Together we can make our voice heard by the health minister, Dr. Brian Gibbons, at the Welsh Assembly - and we can put patients, their families and residents right at the heart of decision making.
