People & Places

[clivebeca]

Would any AB Residents of Pembs., Ceredigion or Carmarthenshire like to comment on this: "The Welsh Health Minister Mark Drakeford has today (Tuesday) confirmed that a level 2 neonatal unit will be created at Glangwili Hospital, Carmarthen - paving the way for the closure of the Special Care Baby Unit at Withybush Hospital.

Obstetric and maternity services at Bronglais and Withybush hospitals will become midwifery-led.

Preseli Pembrokeshire Assembly Member Paul Davies described the move as "dangerous and unsafe for the people of Pembrokeshire and will put lives at risk."

Glangwili Hospital is say 30 miles from Haverfordwest. Current Ambulance problems in all Wales are well documented [unfortunately] of late.

Also, announced that Pembs will disappear under proposed reorganisation of local government, and possibly merge with Ceredigion, ok makes sense, and supposed to tie in with Health Authority Boundaries. There may well be Local Consultation, but in reality it's a 'done deed'.

Here's a tongue in cheek thought: The population of the 3 following Local Government Counties [Census 2011] are: Pembs - 122k, Ceredigion 76k and [yes] Wexford in Eire 145k. Why don't we seek to merge with Wexford, after all we have excellent ferry links. I'm sure our language would continue to be protected, we are all Celts!!

[pixie373]

I don't live in those places, but this has happened recently where i do live, amongst much uproar. You now have to decide during your pregnancy whether you will have a complicated or straightforward birth and book into the correct hospital. The two hospitals are not particularly close together, either, so several babies have already been born in ambulances in a transfer when complications arose. At least one of those babies died. I'm glad i had all mine before things were changed.

[mikey4444]

My niece is a pediatric nurse in the SCBU (Special Care Baby Unit) in Haverfordwest. They have been campaigning for nearly 2 years to keep it open. It is sheer madness to close this place, as it will take at least 2 hours to get to the new Unit at Carmarthen from the remoter parts of West Wales. Its just an economic decision, based on purely monetary reasons, not remotely medical.

Its a bl00dy disgrace !

[clivebeca]

Thanks / Diolch: pixie & mikey - both appreciated, on the pixie point, if anyone has suggestions as to an imaginative campaign to save this vital service, would be pleased to be advised. And mikey, great to hear from you 'at the sharp end'. The question of distance in Pembs is very, very relevant, for eg, some of our larger towns villages are at least 15 miles away from H'west, so that's say 45 miles from Carmarthen, and Glangwili is on the East of the Town. Fishguard, Dale, Angle just to name a few. More news today of a patient being 'held' in an ambulance for 4 hours before being taken indoors to the hospital.

The following is an extract from the Western Telegraph, by a retired consultant: Retired paediatrician says health care for women, babies and children at Withybush Hospital is on a ‘precipice of disaster’ and Pembrokeshire residents must fight to keep services in the county.

Dr Arabinda Palit came to work in the area in 1973 and was one of the key campaigners bringing paediatric and neonatal care to Withybush when health bosses wanted services based in Carmarthen.

Forty years on the drive to centralise services further east continues but Dr Palit, from Narberth, maintains that now, as in 1973, the geography of Pembrokeshire renders the idea dangerous. WT 15/01/2014.

Thus supporting the distances either to be travelled by Ambulances, or by parents/relatives having to visit an unit so far distant, probably on a daily basis.
There is a protest march arranged for Saturday in Haverfordwest.

Please, please let's have a sensible re-think - this must not happen.

"Ein Plant ni - ein Dyfodol ni - Our Children - Our Future".