Population needs localised hospitals

I COMPLETELY agree with the Revd G Carey Jones in his letter to the Western Mail (“Does the public want hospital changes?”, March 10).

Prince Philip Hospital needs and deserves full A&E services. Llanelli is an area of deprivation and some of the population are suffering the legacy of the coal mining industry healthwise. It is inconceivable to bring patients presumably to Carmarthen then on to wherever this new hospital is sited.

The “golden hour” for strokes/ cardiac arrests cannot be possible with the travelling times incurred. Surely anyone with a modicum of sense can appreciate this.

The current healthcare thinking is to take medical services out to the community, well let’s at least have localised hospitals to deliver these services.

Another consideration is staffing levels. Are staff going to want to travel to a new hospital with no facilities. I think not.

Withybush hospital needs a fully equipped A&E serving Pembrokeshire and parts of Cardiganshire. Has anyone involved thought of the traffic problems in summertime when the tourists are flocking to our beautiful Pembrokeshire coast, apart from the container lorries coming back and forth from Ireland?

Our local hospital Glangwili has served the community well and many of us are grateful for the care and medical expertise afforded us. It needs to be upgraded even further. The old nurses home and adjacent buildings are largely empty barring a few offices. Extend the hospital into the two front car parks. It is a huge site and more than adequate to build a hospital that suits the needs of the population. Purchase the field north of the hospital for a new car park. We are on the M4 corridor and convenient for ambulances.

For goodness’ sake, utilise what we have. We don’t want to emulate the HS2 saga where costs have gone sky high.

I hope other readers will express their views before it is too late. Do we really need this hospital?

G Davies Carmarthen