Hywel Dda University Health Board has stressed the Phase Two project to make improvements to women and children’s services at Glangwili Hospital is being pursued with pace.

The supply chain and designers have been appointed and the Health Board has been engaging with staff and service users on early outline drawings and requirements for the scheme.

The aim is to submit an Outline Business Case (OBC) to the Welsh Government in September, followed by a Full Business Case in spring 2017, and if approved, work on the Carmarthen hospital site could begin soon after.

Chief executive and senior responsible officer Steve Moore explained: “Whilst it can take many years to develop a full business case, this scheme relates to the previous service change and has been in planning for quite some time. We already have the supply chain and designers in place and have been engaging with staff and service users to integrate their ideas into the scheme at all stages, where we can do so.

“Given the November 2015 Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health report calling for this capital improvement scheme to be delivered without delay, we really have put all our efforts into progressing the significant work required behind the scenes to get us ready for full business case approval.

“The Welsh Government has also been really supportive and in April agreed to provide funding to the Health Board for fees to develop the OBC.

The Phase Two project aims to increase capacity for birthing mothers and improve the environment for labour ward, maternity theatres and the Special Care Baby Unit at Glangwili Hospital. The scheme would provide purpose-built facilities within some current space occupied by labour ward and Special Care Baby Unit and on a new first floor development on a courtyard just behind the main hospital reception.

Mr. Moore said: “I have also heard some local concern about staffing of the Special Care Baby Unit and whether this project will require us to use more agency staff. Can I just reassure our population that the very vast majority of our nursing shifts in neonatal services at Glangwili Hospital are delivered by established staff. Although agency staff are used from time to time to fill any gaps, it is by no means a service reliant on agency staff. Indeed, when we changed the service in 2014 we increased our establishment of staff and we have nearly all posts filled, with a small number expected to commence in post in the autumn, bringing us to a full complement.

“We are also proud to have launched a brand new element to the service, through provision of neonatal community outreach nurses who care for babies and their families at home, allowing them to return to their communities more quickly.”

Chair of Hywel Dda Community Health Council, John Philips, said: “We’ve been involved from the start of the changes around women and children’s services and some of the public remain very concerned about those changes. When we spoke to local people it was clear that the clinical environment and patient facilities must improve to ease the impact of more people accessing maternity care at Glangwili Hospital via longer distances.

“Patients understandably want to see progress as soon as possible and we expect that the final business case to Welsh Government will demonstrate the importance of this development. In the interim, we expect the health board to do all it can to ensure that patient experiences are as good as they can be. Our role as a patient representative body in monitoring this process will continue.”

For all the latest news and updates on the project, visit www.hywelddahb.wales.nhs.uk/yourfutureservices