Plaid Cymru has been accused of ‘passing the buck’ on issues surrounding the downgrading of services at Withybush Hospital.

Ceredigion Penfro Senedd Member for the Welsh Conservatives, Paul Davies recently called upon the new Welsh Government for ‘some intervention’ to prevent the downgrading of Withybush and Bronglais hospital services, which has been threatened by Hywel Dda University Health Board.

Raising the matter at the Senedd plenary on May 19, Mr Davies stated: “First Minister, the priorities of the people of Ceredigion Penfro were made very clear during the Senedd election campaign - they want to see their local hospital services—that is, general emergency surgery and the stroke unit—staying put at Withybush and Bronglais hospitals respectively.

“They want the Welsh Government to intervene and stop Hywel Dda University Health Board from downgrading and centralising services further away from communities in west Wales.

“Your party made it clear that removing these services means longer journey times for people in urgent need, and that it would put lives at risk. Given some of the comments we heard during the election campaign about standing up for small rural hospitals, it's vital that the Welsh Government now urgently intervenes to stop the health board from taking services away from these hospitals.

“Therefore, First Minister, given the commitments made during the election campaign, can you confirm that it's still your party's and therefore your Government's intention to protect services at Withybush and Bronglais hospitals?”

Back in the Senedd this week, Mr Davies further pushed the Plaid party on the matter, stating on June 9: “I'd be grateful if we could have a statement from the Cabinet Minister for Health and Care regarding the delivery of services in mid and west Wales.

“Now, last week, my co-Ceredigion Penfro Member Anna Nicholl raised the centralisation of services from Withybush and Bronglais hospitals and asked for a statement on equal access to health services in rural Wales.

“Now, in response, you said that the local health board is responsible for planning and providing local services, and, whilst that's true, it's also true that the Welsh Government is responsible for the oversight of the NHS and sets the direction of travel, and, if it wanted to, it could intervene to safeguard services.

“During the election campaign, Plaid Cymru highlighted an online petition calling for the Welsh Government to intervene and save services, and it also supported the calls for a stroke unit at Bronglais Hospital. And yet, in a response to a written question to me on this matter, the Cabinet Minister has passed the buck back to the local health board.

“Therefore, given the lack of clarity on this specific issue, I'd be grateful if we could have a clear statement from the Cabinet Minister for Health and Care so that the people of Ceredigion Penfro can understand whether the Welsh Government will intervene to safeguard essential services at Withybush and Bronglais hospitals,” he added.

New plans to cut waiting times, recruit more GPs and move care out of hospitals and into communities are being outlined by

Wales’ new Health Minister, Plaid Cymru’s Mabon ap Gwynfor last week outlined the party’s plans for NHS Wales.

The new plans promised:

A programme of up to ten surgical and diagnostic hubs will be developed over the next four years to increase capacity of the NHS and cut delays.

Two-year waits will be eliminated within months, with the overall backlog reduced to pre-pandemic levels before the end of this Senedd term.

Up to 100 new salaried GPs will be recruited and access to out-of-hours primary care expanded to reduce pressure on hospitals.

Community care will be expanded and discharge planning strengthened, so people spend less time in hospital and more time living well at home.

A ten-year Digital and Data Strategy will modernise NHS infrastructure, and a long-term workforce strategy will be published this autumn.

Due to a shortage of available posts for this year’s nursing, midwifery and paramedic graduates, organisations will be brought together at a summit to consider immediate support and options to prevent similar problems in the future.

Mabon ap Gwynfor, the Welsh Government, Cabinet Minister for Health and Care, said:"Having to wait years for treatment, with all the pain and anxiety that entails, is an intolerable reality for far too many people in Wales.

"With urgency, decisive action and ambition, we will protect the NHS and build a healthier, fairer Wales — with a health and care system that puts people first and delivers the change our nation needs."