Two alternative options that would safeguard some or all of the stroke services at Bronglais Hospital in Aberystwyth have emerged ahead of a crunch Hywel Dda Health Board meeting on 18 and 19 February.

Last year the health board unveiled its Clinical Services Plan which included options for change in nine clinical areas: critical care, dermatology, emergency general surgery, endoscopy, ophthalmology, orthopaedics, stroke, radiology and urology.

A public consultation on the Clinical Services Plan, which closed on Sunday, 31 August, drew more than 4,000 responses and led to a large protest meeting in Aberystwyth’s Great Hall earlier this year, with people voicing concern over the future of stroke services at Bronglais Hospital.

In October, campaigners from across Ceredigion, Powys and Meirionnydd travelled to the Senedd on as politicians debated calls to safeguard full stroke services at Bronglais Hospital after more than 17,000 signed one of the biggest petitions in the Senedd’s 26-year history.

Campaigners urged the Senedd and Welsh Government to intervene immediately to protect the stroke unit amid plans to downgrade the service to a “treat-and-transfer” model.

Under consultation proposals, stroke patients presenting at the Aberystwyth hospital could be transferred to the Prince Philip in Llanelli or Withybush in Haverfordwest.

Hywel Dda health board – which has argued the Bronglais changes are necessary to make stroke services more sustainable, with centralisation improving staff recruitment and retention – said the results of the consultation on its Clinical Services Plan will be used as part of its thinking when final decisions on the plan are made.

The health board has now included two further options for stroke services to the agenda to be considered by members following feedback.

Will both initial options in the consultation would have seen Bronglais’ stroke unit downgraded to just a treat and transfer unit, new options for board members to consider now include Bronglais retaining a stroke rehabilitation unit with specialist stroke units in Prince Philip and Withybush.

A completely new option – not available during the consultation – will see Bronglais retain a full 12 hours a day specialist stroke unit, with Prince Philip and Withybush hospitals instead becoming treat and transfer units.

Ceredigion MS Elin Jones said she welcomed the two new options but added “there’s very little detail and from discussing with the Health Board I suspect that if either option was preferred then a new round of consultation would be needed.”

“Both new options retain an element of stroke service at Bronglais, partly at the expense of both Llanelli and Withybush.

“I think this is now confusing for all concerned and I would hope that the Board recognises this, draws a line in the sand and commissions a new independent plan for running a stroke service over a very large rural area, recognising the need for early specialist intervention and accessible, longer-term rehabilitation.”

A large scale protest in Aberystwyth on 7 February attracted hundreds of people in protest against the initial proposals, urging Hywel Dda Health Board to avoid downgrading the stroke unit at Bronglais Hospital.