Hywel Dda Health Board members are to be quizzed by Pembrokeshire county councillors at an Extraordinary Meeting, over changes to services at Withybush Hospital.

At the March meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council, an emergency notice of motion by the council’s 11-strong Conservative Party group demanded that the Welsh Government immediately reverses the decision to cease emergency general surgery at Withybush Hospital in Haverfordwest.

Last year, Hywel Dda University Health Board consulted with its communities on options for change in critical care, dermatology, emergency general surgery, endoscopy, ophthalmology, orthopaedics, stroke, radiology and urology.

At a two-day meeting earlier this year, the board, amongst its many other decisions, backed changes into emergency general surgery which will see no emergency general surgery operations taking place at Withybush, but a strengthening of the same-day emergency care (SDEC).

At the March council meeting, the Conservative council group, led by Cllr Di Clements, proposed a motion which read: “This council requests that the Labour Welsh Government intervenes in Hywel Dda University Health Board’s recent decision to cease emergency general surgery at Withybush hospital and immediately reverses their decision. “We believe removing this service critically undermines the sustainability of Withybush hospital’s A&E department.

“Also, the decision by the Health Board does not take into account the impact and potential serious risks it will have on Pembrokeshire residents.”

Cllr Clements’ supporting statement, which included a call for the-then Leader Cllr Jon Harvery to write to the First Minister and Welsh Government, said Pembrokeshire residents “have seen continual downgrading of services over the years, and this has been detrimental to all residents,” adding: “We believe this recent decision is life threatening to those who need emergency surgery and a matter of resident’s safety.”

At the meeting, Cllr Michael John said “there had been an erosion of services for many years,” supporting Cllr Clements’ call, but proposing the addition of calling on the health board to meet with councillors.

Following the request by Cllr Clements, Leader Cllr Jon Harvey agreed to any letter writing, saying he had “fought long and hard to return services to Withybush”.

Members backed Cllr Clements’ call, with Cllr John’s amendment added.

Since then an update was received at the May 14 meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council.

A report for members said, following the March meeting, Cllr Harvey, wrote to the-then First Minister Eluned Morgan on March 10, with Chief Executive Will Bramble also writing to the chief executive of Hywel Dda University Health Board advising him of council’s decision on the same date, requesting his and the Board chair’s attendance at the May council meeting.

It said, since then, Health Board Chair Dr Neil Wooding and Chief Executive Professor Phil Kloer have agreed to attend an Extraordinary Meeting of the council on June 15 to brief the council on service changes and specifically the issue of emergency general surgery, with members having the opportunity to ask questions on the presentation.

Members agreed to note the report ahead of the special June meeting.