Welsh Conservatives today condemned Labour ministers for their lack of urgency in addressing failings at Glangwili Hospital’s labour ward.
Speaking at a press conference in the Senedd, Paul Davies – Assembly Member for Preseli Pembrokeshire – accused the Health Minister of ignoring a dangerous problem of his own making.
It’s now two weeks since a report by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health concluded that Glangwili’s labour unit was "too small, with insufficient facilities and… a poor environment for women and staff’ and ‘not fit for purpose’. In its response, the Welsh Labour government confirmed a capital business case for improvements to the hospital’s estate is not expected until next year.
The unit is currently accepting far more patients as a result of Labour’s NHS reorganisation and the closure of Withybush Hospital’s Special Care Baby Unit.
Mr Davies, the Deputy Leader of the Welsh Conservatives, has branded that decision a ‘disgrace’.
He said:
“Closing the special care baby unit at Withybush was a disgrace. Doing it before any funding decisions had been made at Glangwili was a further shameful betrayal.
“Labour’s promise of state of the art facilities was a barefaced lie. Instead, ministers are ordering mums-to-be from my constituency into a ward that clearly can’t cope.
“Their answer is to do nothing. There is no urgency and Labour’s Health Minister continues to ignore a dangerous problem of his own making.
“There’s still no clear timetable to provide staff and patients with appropriate facilities and – if they happen at all - any potential upgrades could be at least 18 months away.
“This scandal should not be allowed to continue.
“Welsh Conservatives are the only party listening and we will continue to fight passionately for the reintroduction of the special care baby unit at Withybush.”
