Hywel Dda University Health Board has been seeking the views of staff and members of communities about three potential sites for a new planned and urgent care hospital, as part of a wider strategy to improve health and care in the region.

The consultation was launched on February 23, and individuals and organisations invited to share their opinions on the shortlist of sites by May 19, 2023.

Last year, ambitious plans were submitted to the Welsh Government, which if successful, could result in the region of £1.3billion investment into health and care in west Wales. The foundation of the plan is to bring as much care as possible closer to people’s homes. Hywel Dda UHB is planning for a network of integrated health and care centres, which will be designed with local communities across Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire.

A new urgent and planned care hospital is part of a strategy to help the health board provide more care-in-community settings, by having a sustainable hospital model that is fit for future generations. The board says this will improve and increase the specialist care services that can be provided and tackle some long-standing challenges, including ageing buildings, problems in maintaining medical rotas over several hospitals, and staff recruitment.

The consultation sets out three potential sites for a new Urgent and Planned Care Hospital in the south of the Hywel Dda University Health Board area: two near Whitland and one near St Clears.

Hywel Dda does not have a preferred site and has not bought any site or land for this development. Purchasing a site and delivering the new Urgent and Planned Care Hospital is subject to Welsh Government funding, which is not yet confirmed, and if successful, would take several years to achieve. In the meantime, the board states, Hywel Dda continues to work with communities to prepare and deliver the best health and care services possible.

Lee Davies, Hywel Dda University Health Board Executive Director of Strategy and Planning said:“We have been engaging with individuals and groups through our consultation events both in-person and online. We are grateful to everyone who has come along to share their views and ask questions.

“As part of the consultation, you have also told us that you would like additional consultation events to help those unable to attend, or where the location of the events made it difficult to access for some. As a result, we are adding four extra in-person consultation events as listed below and an additional online event.”

Details of these events, together with the consultation documents and questionnaire, are available via this link. You are invited to go along and share your views.