7. Debate on petition P-06-1277, 'Save A&E. Withybush General Hospital must retain 24 hour, 7 days a week, Consultant Led urgent care'

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 4:53 pm on 29 June 2022.

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Photo of Jack Sargeant Jack Sargeant Labour 4:53, 29 June 2022

Diolch yn fawr, Deputy Presiding Officer. On behalf of the Petitions Committee, can I thank all the Members who have spoken in this debate this afternoon, and all the Members that actually represent constituents there and who use the services at Withybush, including the Minister, as she rightly said? This has enabled today an important issue to be raised. We've heard already that this is not the first time it's been raised in the Chamber; I'm sure it probably won't be the last time it's raised in the Chamber.

I think Paul Davies mentioned in his contribution that this is the No. 1 priority for his constituents. That resonates, doesn't it, with the 85 per cent shown signatories on the heat maps? And in his powerful contribution, Sam Kurtz raised that Paul Davies is a true champion of the hospital, and Sam's own powerful contribution, and his 82 per cent from social media polling, shows this is clearly a topic of interest for those in Pembrokeshire. Cefin Campbell also referenced the importance of this on the doorstep and how many times the services and the need for safeguarding of the services came up with him. He noted the efforts and challenges of the health board of Hywel Dda, but also that the uncertainty remained, and called for clarity on that. My colleague Jane Dodds provided balance to the debate this afternoon, understanding again that there needs to be a change in approach, but did note the concerns raised by other Members, and you've had some of them yourself. And I think you called for a commitment not to downgrade services, if I'm right in saying, until a new fully functioning location and hospital was in place, and then after a review of that particular hospital. And the Minister, in response, made it very clear, I think, that the A&E services will remain in place until a new hospital is in place, and we are some way away from that. And if that was to go ahead, it would be the largest public sector investment in Wales, one that would be designed by clinicians based on clinical evidence.

But as I said, Deputy Presiding Officer, in closing today, I do want to thank the petitioner in particular, who, over the last decade, has been putting this on our agenda, and it was another opportunity again, and I'm sure, again, that it won't be the last. I thank all of those who supported the process. But can I end, Deputy Presiding Officer, if you'll allow me, by just taking a little bit of time here to say thanks to all those staff and those who support Withybush hospital, and all those staff in the NHS across Wales, because we do need to thank them—they do go above and beyond for us, our families and our constituents every single day, and I think we need to remind ourselves of that and praise them at every opportunity? Diolch yn fawr.