Council’s vow over health shake-up
LLANELLI Rural Council has vowed to keep close watch on how Hywel Dda Health Unversity Health Board rolls out its revamp of health services across west Wales.
The council met with health board representatives, with councillors promising the public that it will scrutinise the health board in how it delivers the amibitious Transforming Clinical Services Health and Care Strategy.
The strategy was approved by the board in November and it will be translated into a suite of services designed to meet the needs of the public and key groups in a major overhaul of health care services across the health board region.
The overhaul would see services maintained at Llanelli’s Prince Philip Hospital while Glangwili in Carmarthen and Withybush in Pembrokeshire would both lose services and be ‘repurposed’ as part of the shake-up.
The board’s decision followed a consultation on three options for the future provision of healthcare in Carmarthenshire, Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion.
Llanelli Rural Council leader, councillor Tegwen Devichand said: “Now that we know what the preferred option is, the council has been keen to impress upon the board how it intends to hold it to account by proactively scrutinising the rolling out of the strategy – a process which is likely to take many years to achieve. During the council meeting, members made representations to board officials for the council to serve on its project board to oversee the transformation agenda.”
Dr Phil Kloer, medical director of clinical strategy for Hywel Dda, said last month: “We are fully committed to the integration of health and social care to improve the health and wellbeing of our communities, as set out in our strategy which was approved by our board. Indeed we are already working very closely with local authorities in Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire to transform and integrate care as part of the West Wales Regional Partnership Board.
“This arrangement is set out in our West Wales Area Plan which has been agreed by councillors in the three local authorities and by the health board.”