Members of the South East Pembrokeshire Community Health Network (SEPCHN) have written to the health minister for Wales urgently requesting that the Hywel Dda Health Board reconsiders its decision to close the Tenby Cottage Hospital's Minor Injury Unit (MIU).

Hywel Dda Health Board has offered assurances that it will maintain a full Emergency and Unscheduled Care service at Haverfordwest's Withybush General Hospital, after announcing last week, that from January 3, staff from Tenby Cottage and South Pembs Hospital's MIUs, will be redeployed to the Emergency and Urgent Care Centre at Withybush.

The South East Pembrokeshire Community Health Network have now voiced their concerns in a letter to the Welsh Assembly Government for the attention of the health minister for Wales, Lesley Griffiths. They have also written to the Hywel Dda Health Board's chief executive Mr. Trevor Purt and chairman Mr. Chris Martin.

"It is with disbelief this week that we have heard indirectly of the planned closure of the Minor Injuries Unit at the Tenby Cottage Hospital," said chairman Mr. Mansel Thomas.

"Over the last few years we have held regular public meetings through our SEPCHN group, all of them with representatives of the Hywel Dda Health Board present when health matters have been discussed.

"It was only last week, at one of our meetings, that a Hywel Dda deputy director described how the Health Board was planning to localise provision and provide more and more services close to the community.

"At a previous private meeting with the chief executive, Mr. Purt, he described his aims of expanding MIU provision and training of nurses to undertake minor ailment support, thus increasing their skills and hospital provision. This was in keeping with the board's aim of providing an increasing number of services locally," he continued.

SEPCHN have supported the news that three locum Emergency Medicine Consultants have been employed at Withybush to provide 24/7 senior cover and a seven-day presence in A and E.

However, on learning that staff from Tenby and South Pembs MIU's will be redeployed to the Emergency and Urgent Care Centre at Withybush and the MIU units closed, SEPCHN are seeking an explanation as to why the Tenby nurses are also to be moved to Withybush, which they believe will result in an uncertain future for the MIU service in the area.

"The MIU provides a valuable service for the community, as South East Pembrokeshire is a popular retirement area, and there are many retirees and retirement homes that depend on this service for minor problems," continued Mr. Thomas.

"This closure may well result in problematic journeys to Withybush for already frail people.

"In the summer months, the population of the immediate area expands to approximately 50,000 people, the largest concentration of population in the board's region.

"This area is now to be left even without an injury unit and the important tourist industry without minor health support," he added.

SEPCHN has questioned whether the Hywel Dda Health Board has effectively managed its resources, as the Tenby Cottage Hospital, which was rebuilt only a few years ago, cost many millions of pounds to provide first class facilities.

Community funding paid for equipment such as the X-ray machine and the original hospital was built by local people and later entrusted to the health authorities for its protection.

"What a waste of money to have such a wonderful facility closed. Is this effective management of resources?" remarked Mr. Thomas.

"It may well be a coincidence, but it is strange that the Hywel Dda Health Board cuts in the south of the county, coincide with its overspend in the current financial year.

"Is this one way in which it is making good its losses as the Wales Government has stated it will not bale it out?

"We would wish to work with and support those providing our NHS locally and provide the best possible service for the community. The management of the process is undoubtedly difficult," he continued.

As health plans are due to be set out for the next five years, SEPCHN are concerned that already there appears to be questions with regard to the Health Board management of a number of issues, including - its financial control and resource management; the effectiveness of plans that are already being amended when strains appear; a lack of effective communication strategies with communities on problematic key issues and a lack of empathy with the communities being served.

"The NHS has many wonderful features and medical staff and it demands effective management.

"We trust that the current team of Hywel Dda Heallth Board managers will be able to manage the high expectations that the NHS and the people it serves demand.

"We urgently request that the Health Board reconsiders its decision to close the Tenby Cottage Hospital MIU and prevent a deterioration in health provision in this area," added Mr. Thomas..

Speaking at Tuesday night's meeting of Tenby Town Council, SEPCHN secretary and town council member, Clr. Mrs. Caroline Thomas, told her colleagues that the town and the whole of South East Pembrokeshire required an explanation as to why this decision to close the MIU had been made.

"We fought so hard for this facility and we were promised it would be retained," she said.

"There's great anger in the community at the cynical way that this has been announced leading up to Christmas, when the timing means that the majority of community councils will have already met for the last time before the January closure and letters sent to the Welsh Assembly Government are unlikely to be given proper consideration until the New Year.

"Over 5,000 were seen at the Tenby Cottage MIU last year, 800 alone treated in August, so the consequences are huge I'm afraid," continued Clr. Mrs. Thomas, who called upon the town council to set a petition going to demand that the decision to close the MIU is reversed.

SEPCHN have now called an emergency public meeting to discuss the MIU closure. The meeting will be held on Tuesday, at New Hedges Village Hall, at 2 pm, with all welcome to attend.

• See also the Health Board's report on page 13 in which the proposed closures of the units were announced.