The Board recently sought views on its Clinical Services Plan (CSP), which looks at potential changes in critical care, dermatology, emergency general surgery, endoscopy, ophthalmology, orthopaedics, stroke, radiology and urology.
Thousands of responses
Around 4,000 responses were received through questionnaires, events and engagement activities. Feedback included views on the options already put forward, their potential impacts, and fresh ideas suggested by members of the public.
The Health Board, working with independent company Opinion Research Services, is now reviewing all of the responses.
‘We need to do justice to new ideas’
Medical Director Mark Henwood said:
“We have been really pleased with levels of engagement in the consultation from our communities. This has presented to us new ideas which we need to explore and, to do justice, will need to go through the same thorough process as options presented in the consultation.”
Next steps
- An update on the consultation feedback will be presented at the Board’s November 2025 meeting.
- A full consultation report is expected to be published in January 2026.
- An extraordinary Board meeting in February 2026 will decide the future of the nine services.
Wider pressures on west Wales healthcare
The consultation comes against a backdrop of wider concerns about the future of hospital services in west Wales:
- Earlier this year, campaigners warned that urgent investment is needed in west Wales hospitals, after plans for a new build were pushed back by a decade, raising fears about the resilience of existing sites.
- In Llanelli, councillors have cautioned against any further service losses at Prince Philip Hospital, where the Minor Injuries Unit has already faced overnight closures and is now at the centre of a crunch decision on its long‑term future.
- In Llandovery, the Health Board has confirmed the town’s hospital is safe from closure, though X‑ray services remain under review due to outdated equipment and staffing pressures.
- Alongside the consultation, Hywel Dda has also launched a new Research and Innovation Strategy, aiming to expand clinical trials and partnerships across the region, with a focus on cancer, respiratory disease, women’s health and digital care.
How ideas will be assessed
All new suggestions will be tested against “hurdle criteria” to check if they are:
- Clinically sustainable
- Deliverable
- Accessible
- Aligned with the Health Board’s long‑term strategy
- Financially sustainable
A group of staff, stakeholders and patient representatives will also consider the accessibility impacts for communities, before an options development group scores viable ideas to weigh up their strengths and weaknesses.
Mr Henwood added:
“We cannot speculate at this stage on which ideas will become options, but the whole consultation process is both challenging and supporting work done to date and ensuring we have a range of strong options for the future.”
