The recent South East Pembrokeshire Community Health Network (SEPCHN) meeting held at the New Hedges Village Hall proved to be extremely interesting.

It was noted at the outset how most of the political parties in the Assembly elections had included South East Pembrokeshire health matters in their election addresses, probably reflecting to some degree the publicity engendered by the SEPCHN, and it was appropriate that the meeting was joined by Simon Thomas AM.

The main items on the agenda were inputs by Ceri Griffiths, the Lead Nurse for Frailty, and Lowri O’Boyle, the Lead Nurse for Heart Failure.

These ladies are responsible for planning support programmes in our area, involving whole teams of workers, including hospital consultants.

They will use the Tenby Cottage Hospital for various clinics and support activities, but also provide support in patient homes.

The initiative is part of a national scheme to minimise the number of elderly patients staying in hospital for lengthy periods by providing expert care in the community.

The nurses delivered their addresses expertly and were warmly applauded by members and invited back in the future when there are further developments.

The other main item was the SEPCHN evaluation of the recent ‘walk-in’ Minor Ailment and Injury pilot scheme staged over the Easter period.

It was reported that, despite the short period of prior publicity, 181 patients attended over the 10-day period.

Of these, 122 were registered with the Hywel Dda Health Board and smaller numbers attended from other parts of Wales and England and overseas.

As expected, patients attended for a wide range of ailments and injuries, reflecting the situation in the local surgery and the tourist influx at this time.

SEPCHN members were strongly supportive of the scheme. Some had been treated at the hospital MIU and were very pleased with their treatment.

All members felt that the service filled a gap that now exists in medical support in our area and needs to be extended.

The chair and secretary had been invited to a Health Board evaluation of the pilot which was to take place immediately afterwards and were instructed to convey these opinions to the Health Board.

However, there was bitter disappointment and concern at the following meeting as it was believed that the ‘walk-in’ service was to be scrapped.