Sir,

It should have come as no surprise that the Hywel Dda Health Board has made a final decision to close the Cottage Hospital MIU after many months of disagreement. The board has blindly ignored all the arguments put forward by the community of South East Pembrokeshire and this decision without doubt, as local GPs have stated, 'will be deleterious to health provision in this area'.

Ten key reasons for the continued operation of the MIU were provided by the community. These included an elderly population, many retiring to this area. A low level of car ownership, and, in winter, a public transport system that does not operate on weekends. The option for many will be a taxi, the cost of which will be beyond the means of many. So, one of largest dispersed rural populations in the Hywel Dda HB area is to be left without an injury service and with one of the longest journeys to an injury unit either in Withybush or Glangwili hospitals.

The consultation system that was heralded across South West Wales some 18 months ago with the promise of it being a listening exercise has been useless. The Health Board has been quoted as saying there would have to be a replacement in place before the MIU was to close. This now seems very empty as the recommendation is to go to a pharmacy, if open, or 'phone the already overstretched ambulance service.

The consultation system that was put in place to oversee these health changes has been a failure from a community perspective. The reaction of this community to the planned closure was the largest proportionally, in the whole of the Hywel Dda Health Board area. Eighty-three per cent of those responding were against the closure. This was ignored. Public meetings and petitions were organised. Also totally ignored. The Community Health Council, established to represent the community's views, agreed to the closure with certain provisos, including a weekend service throughout the year. But these provisos, as far as we are aware, have also now disappeared.

At a time when A&E departments are overworked, more patients from South East Pembrokeshire will now be forced to travel and increase the pressure. A valued aspect of the health provision in this area is disappearing.

South East Pembrokeshire Community Health Network