Llanelli Town Council is calling for Prince Philip Hospital to be developed into a “centre of excellence” for stroke care — rather than see its specialist services scaled back.
The cross-party intervention comes as Hywel Dda University Health Board consults on plans that would change how stroke patients across west Wales are treated.
Under the proposals, Prince Philip would provide initial emergency stroke treatment before patients are transferred to Glangwili Hospital in Carmarthen for specialist inpatient care — a “treat and transfer” model.
Glangwili would become the region’s only round-the-clock acute stroke unit, with Prince Philip, Withybush in Haverfordwest and Bronglais in Aberystwyth left as transfer sites.
The plan stems from a board decision in February to centralise emergency surgery, stroke and specialist critical care at Glangwili.
The health board argues change is needed on safety grounds. Stroke services are currently spread across four hospital sites with no specialist cover seven days a week, meaning patients do not always get the standard of care they should.
Lee Davies, the board’s executive director of strategy and planning, said: “We need to change our current service to ensure that people in our communities have the best possible outcomes and chance of recovery from a stroke.”
But councillors in Llanelli fear the changes could mean the gradual erosion of the specialist stroke services currently provided through Ward 9 at Prince Philip.
The issue was debated at the council’s full meeting on 3 June.
The council’s independent leader, Councillor Sean Rees, said stroke services were among the most important provided to the community, and that Ward 9 had built a strong reputation for high-quality specialist care.
“Local people are understandably concerned about what these proposals could mean for the future,” Councillor Rees said. “The health board must provide clear assurances about the long-term future of stroke services in Llanelli.”
He has submitted a series of questions to the health board as part of the consultation, asking whether Ward 9 will continue as a specialist stroke unit, what services will remain in Llanelli, and whether there are any plans to downgrade, relocate or remove specialist stroke provision from Prince Philip in future.
Councillor Rees has previously warned that the town “cannot afford to lose any more” services from the hospital.
During the debate, councillors argued the focus should be on enhancing Prince Philip’s role, not reducing it.
Councillor Sarah Evans, who represents the Lliedi ward, said the hospital should be developed as a centre of excellence for stroke care, building on the expertise, facilities and staff already at Ward 9.
Councillor Evans and her colleagues pointed to the hospital’s location and its accessibility for communities across Llanelli and Carmarthenshire, and the importance of keeping specialist care close to where patients and their families live.
Returning to the theme, Councillor Rees said: “Rather than transferring more services away from Llanelli, the health board should be exploring opportunities to strengthen and expand the excellent work already being carried out at Prince Philip Hospital.”
He argued there was “a strong case” for the centre-of-excellence approach: “The expertise already exists, the need clearly exists, and local people deserve access to specialist treatment as close to home as possible.”
The call comes weeks after Prince Philip became the first hospital in Wales to offer a pioneering cancer diagnosis technique — which the council points to as evidence of the expertise already on site.
Hywel Dda is holding a public drop-in event on the proposals from 2pm to 7pm on Monday 15 June at the Selwyn Samuel Centre in Llanelli.
The health board is encouraging residents, patients, carers and staff to take part in the consultation before any final decisions are made.
