Speaking in a debate supporting the campaign to retain key services at Withybush Hospital William Powell AM, Welsh Liberal Democrat for Mid and West Wales, has called on the Welsh Labour Government to do better for the people of rural Wales.
William Powell AM, said:
“Thanks to the Welsh Labour Government backed reorganisation of health services across Wales, key services in Withybush Hospital are being lost.
“This is not acceptable as it is placing people’s lives at risk.
“The people of Pembrokeshire and the wider Hywel Dda region deserve better from both their Local Health Board and the Welsh Government.
“As part of any reorganisation, we need to take a serious look at how staffing is organised, especially when there is a threat of the loss of key senior clinical staff and the knowledge capital that they represent.
“My colleague Kirsty Williams has frequently called for legal minimum nursing levels on Welsh wards. International evidence from Australia and Canada shows that having a legal minimum standard in place significantly improves patient outcomes. This means that patients are out of hospital more quickly and that beds are freed for the treatment and recovery of others.
“If services are to be sustainably delivered in the areas where they are needed, it is essential that the current staffing models change in a rational manner. However, these changes can only be successfully implemented if they carry the support of the communities across Mid and West Wales.”
