Hywel Dda: Possible hospital sites cut from five to three

Plans went to the Welsh government last year

Possible sites for a hospital that would be part of a £1.3bn health overhaul have been narrowed from five to three.

Hywel Dda health board launched a consultation on Thursday into the locations that will run until 19 May.

Plans have gone to the Welsh government though the facility is not expected to be built until at least 2029.

Two of the possible locations are near Whitland and one near St Clears, both in Carmarthenshire.

Hywel Dda said the hope was the scheme would bring care closer to people's homes.

It said the plans included a network of integrated health and care centres, designed with local communities, across Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, and Pembrokeshire.

It would ultimately end emergency care at Withybush and Glangwili hospitals, in Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire respectively.

In February about 200 people staged a protest against the plans to downgrade Withybush. Campaigners fear the extra travel time from parts of Pembrokeshire to a new hospital in Carmarthenshire could cost lives.

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Launching the consultation, chairwoman Maria Battle said the board wanted to create a "sustainable hospital model fit for future generations".

"This will improve and increase the specialist care services that can be provided in Hywel Dda and tackle some long-standing challenges, including old hospitals, problems in maintaining medical rotas over several hospitals, and staff recruitment," she said.

Chief executive Steve Moore said: "We do not have a preferred site and we have not bought any site or land for this development.

"Purchasing a site and delivering the new urgent and planned care hospital is subject to the Welsh government funding, which is not yet confirmed."

Placard-waving campaigners made their views known outside Withybush Hospital

Health board strategy and planning director, Lee Davies, said there would be a number of drop-in events across the health board area.

The new hospital was proposed as part of an NHS shake-up in west Wales amid fears services were spread too thinly and could collapse because of rising demand and staff shortages.