Emergency general emergency surgery is to be removed from Pembrokeshire’s Withybush hospital as part of a wide range of changes backed following by Hywel Dda University Health Board.

Last year, the Health Board consulted with its communities on options for change in critical care, dermatology, emergency general surgery, endoscopy, ophthalmology, orthopaedics, stroke, radiology and urology.

It said its Clinical Services Plan focuses on nine healthcare services that are “fragile and in need of change”.

At the launch of the consultation it said the services, and potential changes at the four main hospitals of Haverfordwest’s Withybush, Carmarthen’s Glangwili, Llanelli’s Prince Philip and Aberystwyth’s Bronglais, would see no changes to how people access emergency care (A&E) or minor injury care as part of the consultation.

These nine clinical services were selected because of risks to them being able to continue to offer safe, high-quality services, or care in a timely manner, the board has previously said.

The proposed changes included an option for Withybush patients needing specialist critical care being transferred to Glangwili.

Another option, in Ceredigion, included the loss of Bronglais’s stroke service, becoming a ‘treat and transfer’ hospital, with patients transferred to other hospitals in the board area, including Withybush for their inpatient stroke care.

During the consultation, communities shared an additional 190 alternative ideas for the services, which have been narrowed down to 22 alternatives to the multiple options outlined in the consultation.

At a two-day meeting into the proposed changes, held on February 18 and 19, the board backed changes into emergency general surgery which will see no emergency general surgery operations taking place at Withybush, but a strengthening of the same-day emergency care (SDEC).

For the other three hospitals, there would be no change in emergency general surgery provision, other than a strengthening of SDEC at Glangwili.

Members stressed the changes would not happen overnight, with the board hearing from chief executive Phil Kloer the changes were about “improving the quality of service for the public,” adding a Pembrokeshire public-preferred option of emergency general surgery operations taking place on alternate weeks, with a similar arrangement at Glangwili, had raised concerns from clinicians and managers.

The Board also backed changes to the critical care service, which will see the current intensive care units situation remaining the same at all hospitals other than Prince Philip, which will see the Intensive care unit (with transfer of sickest patients) changed to an enhanced care unit.

Reacting to the change, local Senedd member Paul Davies MS: “I’m appalled that Hywel Dda University Health Board has voted to remove general emergency services from Withybush hospital – but I’m not surprised. The Health Board is obsessed with removing services from Pembrokeshire and has spent years downgrading and removing services from Withybush hospital. As one constituent has rightly said, the Board should be rebranded the Carmarthenshire Health Board, as it continues to strip assets from other hospitals in west Wales.”

He added: “Removing general emergency services critically undermines the sustainability of Withybush hospital’s A&E department and will result in patients having to be transported for urgent treatment.