Part of 4. Topical Questions – in the Senedd at 3:47 pm on 24 January 2018.
We've had this leaked document, we know that it is going to form the basis of a consultation and we know that, within that, there is mention of the closure of Withybush hospital. It has already raised considerable alarm within my constituency, the one that I live in. I think that our job here as politicians is to have a conversation that starts to calm down those fears. Because as I read this at the moment in its current format, there are a range of options—nine, I think, in all—on the table, and they're seeking a conversation and agreement with the wider public, and that includes us, on taking this forward, in terms of giving people the very best options that they can in delivering the very safest form of care and services, both medical and social, within that region.
So, there are two things that run alongside that. I think the first thing is that we give immediate reassurance to the people in Pembrokeshire that Withybush hospital is not closing now. I think that's what I'm seeing on Twitter, on Facebook and in the e-mails that I'm having. I think that's the first thing that we have to do. Clearly, the second thing is that this will be a meaningful consultation where people's views will be first of all listened to and then taken on board. Because I think that's where we're at now, and that's what I will be calling for—for those two things to be very firmly stated.