Welsh Labour’s renewed pledge to deliver a new hospital for West Wales, has been criticised, with local Senedd Members describing the proposal as a “desperate pre-election distraction” from immediate pressures facing local health services.

Although potential sites in Whitland and St Clears have previously been explored, the project was effectively paused by Hywel Dda Health Board, with delivery unlikely for at least another decade due to financial and economic constraints.

Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire Senedd Member Samuel Kurtz, and his fellow Weslh Conservative, Paul Davies MS for Preseli Pembrokeshire, argue that communities in Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion cannot afford further delay while services at existing hospitals face increasing centralisation and uncertainty.

“People in Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion do not need vague long-term aspirations. They need certainty and investment now. Services are being centralised and downgraded while we are told to wait for something that is neither fully planned nor properly funded,” said Mr Davies.

“Instead of chasing headlines, the Welsh Government should focus on safeguarding and strengthening services at Withybush Hospital and Bronglais Hospital.

“The message from our communities is clear: invest in the hospitals we have so people can access the care they need closer to home.”

The two MSs contend that immediate capital and workforce investment in existing facilities is the only credible way to guarantee patient safety, reduce excessive travel times for rural residents, and provide sustainable healthcare across West Wales.

They are calling on the Welsh Government to publish a clear, fully costed and deliverable plan to protect core services at Withybush and Bronglais, rather than relying on what they describe as “recycled promises that never materialise.”

Mr Kurtz remarked: “Just ahead of a Senedd election, the First Minster dusts off a decades old plan and tries to sell it to local voters who can see straight through this empty promise.

“This is nothing more than a desperate and cynical promises to try and save the First Minister’s seat, knowing that she won’t be in a position to deliver it.

“When 10,000 local people sign a petition demanding the Welsh Government intervene on Withybush, and all they can do is press release a decades old plan, it shows Labour are no not serious about supporting the communities of West Wales.”

Davies and Kurtz reiterated that protecting frontline services at Withybush and Bronglais must be the immediate priority for the Welsh Government, warning that confidence in local healthcare provision will continue to erode without tangible action.