What is it about Hywel Dda University Health Board that they don’t get regarding Bronglais Hospital? I was at a protest in 2012 with a friend whose life had been saved in Bronglais when she needed an emergency Caesarean section. In 2012 we were consulted on a ‘downgrading’ of Bronglais eg obstetrics changing to being midwife-led. My friend would definitely have died if she’d had to travel to Glangwili.

A consultation in Hywel Dda language means, we’ve already made up our minds but will explain what we’re going to do - clinical excellence is our priority - but we open our sympathetic ears to your concerns - travelling distance. In the end our protesting voices were loud enough but it took till 2018 for us to relax when Hywel Dda announced, “Bronglais Hospital would not be downgraded after earlier proposals were abandoned.” Still, we lost our mental health in-patient beds and they’ve never returned.

I think we were so relieved that we didn’t notice the rest of the announcement, namely that a new urgent and emergency care hospital was planned in Pembrokeshire. In August 2022 when there was another consultation on a choice of three sites, did we wake up. Hywel Dda had already decided that two of five proposed sites weren’t suitable. Read the following regarding the site in Narberth and what was deemed wrong with it. “In relation to time critical transfers, for example neonatal intensive care and cardiac, these all go east and a hospital in Narberth would result in longer transfer times.”

The Board was concerned for the population of parts of Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire but how about those travelling from Ceredigion, Powys and Gwynedd? The main concern for patients wasn’t where exactly in Pembrokeshire this new hospital would be sited but the ‘repurposing’ of Withybush and Glangwili. Protests against this started in 2018 but became loud in 2022. I went along to this next consultation in the Morlan Centre with another friend who, like me, is entirely dependent on bus transport. We talked to staff who were courteous and listened. The transport manager admitted that transport is tricky. That hadn’t stopped the following conclusion of the 2018 consultation on travel to the new hospital. “We want to bring care closer to home and reduce unnecessary hospital admissions.” Care would also be provided “from more local hospitals.” How do the people of Tregaron feel about that statement? The report goes on to argue for “prioritisation for active travel. This means we want to make it as easy as possible … to walk or cycle to the hospital.” Plus public transport in preference to a private car. Hang on, what public transport from the northerly direction!

In November 2024 the Board reported that, “estimations are that delivery of a new hospital, if achieved, since financial support is not yet secured, is likely to be at least 10 years from now.” Hence the new “draft options for nine fragile services”, including stroke services. But way back in August 2022 there were discussions on the creation of Comprehensive Regional Stroke Centres in Wales based in the north, south, south central and east. Note, not in the middle. I get the clinical reasoning. For fragile services read, not enough staff and/or population in mid-Wales, hence make patients travel south. It’s patients who feel fragile. We love the front-line staff but want the best practice here at Bronglais. Why can’t the south central Centre become central and be located at Bronglais? Can we be the ones not travelling so far? Guess what, another consultation is on its way. And, I warrant, a load more protests.