Sir,

Following the overwhelming rejection of its plans for reorganisation of local health services by the local community, the Hywel Dda Health Board continues to blindly forge ahead with its ideas.

The South East Pembrokeshire Community Health Network has this week been made aware that unless pressure can be brought to bear to prevent it, the HB plans to close the Tenby Cottage Hospital Minor Injury Unit on weekends, over the summer period, as part of its pilot scheme, the service to be replaced by a Red Cross service. It appears this has been done despite the fact the Health Minister, Professor Mark Drakeford, has stated that before changes are made, there will have to be agreement with the Community Health Council over the detail. However, although discussions have now commenced we understand there has been no agreement and the decision was made before talks started.

At a meeting of the SEPCHN the previous week, the chair of the CHC, Tony Wales, stated that: 'the provision of this service would have to conform to the current HDHB standard as currently provided by the emergency nurse practitioners at Tenby Cottage Hospital'.

Whilst the Red Cross service provides a very good standard of service, will they be able to provide an equivalent standard to the highly trained specialist emergency nurse practitioners who work in a specially equipped surgery? This has certainly not been made clear. If this cannot be provided, then Tony Wales stated that: 'the CHC would argue strongly for the service to be retained in its current form and retained at Tenby Cottage Hospital'.

The community of South East Pembrokeshire is rapidly losing confidence in the health board. It was on August 6 last year, during the health consultation that Trevor Purt, the chief executive, stated: 'there would be no changes until a viable alternative was in place'. Is the service being proposed such a practicable alternative? We are yet to be convinced.

From what we understand, the MIU will remain open during weekdays and be replaced by the Red Cross during weekends, so if treatment is required people should continue to attend.

The SEPCHN has written once again to the chief executive of the HDHB and the Health Minister urging a reversal of such a badly thought out course of action which, as our GPs inform us, 'will be deleterious to health provision in this area'.

If you agree, then why not write to the HDHB chief executive and the Health Minister demanding a reversal of this decision.

South East Pembrokeshire Community Health Network