P-05-846 Save our Hospital at Prince Philip Llanelli – Correspondence from the Petitioner to the Committee, 5.11.18

Thank you for agreeing to discuss our petition and we appreciate your time and assistance.

Since presenting the petition we have met with the health board and answered a number of questions and concerns we have.

I have been asked by the committee of SOSPPAN to make you aware of a number of facts they  would like you to consider.

Llanelli has a number of deprived wards including two of the bottom three wards in the whole of Wales.  Travelling over forty miles to a new hospital is not practical without a car and it’s not uncommon for discharge to happen in the middle of the night.  (only last week I collected a mother and her 14 month old baby from outside Glangwili Hospital at 12.00 at night on their discharge.  The mother does not own a car and was faced with a 20 mile taxi ride, as a single mother on benefits this would have had a devastating effect on her financial situation.

We worry that a risk and or Quality Impact Assessment has been carried out on ambulance services in the Hywel Dda area and effects the new hospital will have on the people of Llanelli.  We worry people will present to Moriston Hospital and this will cause significant problems for them.

We have been told mental health services will be moved from PPH and we are concerned what will happen too patients in the Llanelli area, there are severe Mental health problems in our region and moving the treatment centre over 40 miles away is not going to be positive or help.

We welcome the news the health board is considering a MLU unit in PPH but again have concerns if there are sufficient ambulance provisions .

With over a third of the Hywel Dda catchment living in the Llanelli area we wonder how much consideration has been given to residents.  We hear a lot about kindness and service and the wellness of the patient being paramount.  With family and friends living over 40 miles away with really poor road and public transport links we wonder how this is for their benefit.

Yours sincerely

John Prosser

SOSPPAN

Save our Services Prince Phillip Hospital Action Network