Sir,

It was good to read, on your front page last week, the response of Dr. Griffiths to the news of Hywel Dda Health Board's latest move to undermine and eventually close Tenby Cottage Hospital.

Having been a member of the Local Implementation Group when it was fighting for a new hospital for Tenby, to replace the old one which was closed, it still rankles that, having proved that Tenby is 'special' in needing a cottage hospital for our elderly, car-less locals and our thousands of visitors, Hywel Dda Health Board has continually undermined the work of the new hospital. Promises were made again and again about enhancing and extending services, but the reverse has happened. As Dr. Griffiths said, if you keep reducing services and their availability, eventually, fewer people attend those services. The result is that Hywel Dda Health Board can then 'prove' statistically those services are not needed.

This is an old trick. It goes alongside the other trick they used to prevent Tenby Cottage Hospital having in-patient beds on that site. Their business case figures presented to the Health Minister at the time were dubious and eventually led to the extremely expensive option of a new 10-bed unit at Park House. It is a very good provision, but in the view of many people, could have been provided more economically on the hospital site.

Hywel Dda Health Board did everything in their power to prevent a cottage hospital being built in Tenby and it was Christine Gwyther AM bringing Jane Hutt, Minister for Health, to Tenby and Pembrokeshire on several occasions, that enabled Tenby to have the compromise arrangement we have.

The work of the South East Pembs. CHN which has been ongoing ever since the Cottage Hospital opened, has been marginalised and minimalised by the arrogant behaviour of Chris Martin and his board and staff. Failure to turn up for meetings, poor responses to communications and now, we learn, only one contact with Tenby surgery about the demise of the MIU in all these months!

The closure of the MIU will sound the death knell of the hospital.

Clr. Michael Williams, who was also a member of the Local Implementation Group, is right. It is time to write to Mark Drakeford proposing a vote of no confidence in the management of the Hywel Dda Health Board.

Mrs. M. Neate,

North Cliffe,

Tenby.