Tories 'no hospital closures' pledge before assembly election

Reopening minor injury units and not reorganising the NHS are among the Welsh Conservatives' pledges ahead of the assembly election.

The party has also said it would re-establish special care baby services at Withybush Hospital in Pembrokeshire.

Care for complex births was moved from Haverfordwest to Glangwili Hospital in Carmarthenshire in 2014.

Shadow Health Minister Darren Millar said Labour was running the NHS "into the ground".

Labour's Health Minister Mark Drakeford said: "According to the Treasury's own figures, Wales spends £172 more per person on health and social services combined than in England.

"By seeking to reopen minor injury units which only saw a handful of patients every week, the Tories are not just wasting money but they are threatening the very viability of the emergency departments they claim to want to protect by diverting experienced A&E staff away from the busy frontline."

'Cruelly closed'

The Tories promised to keep all existing emergency departments open and reopen minor injury units in community hospitals in Newtown, Powys, Tenby, Pembrokeshire, Colwyn Bay in Conwy county and those in Rhyl and Prestatyn in Denbighshire.

A £20m will also be created to encourage the "innovative use" of community hospitals.

Mr Millar added: "In contrast to their [Labour's] legacy of cuts, closures and downgrades, we are making a commitment today to secure, reopen and widen access to NHS services in Wales.

"There would be no reorganisation of the health service under a Welsh Conservative health minister and key minor injury units so cruelly closed by Labour would be re-established to relieve pressure on our emergency departments and provide more convenient access to patients."

Elin Jones, Plaid Cymru's health spokeswoman, said: "If they [the Conservatives] think everything is fine as it is and all that needs to change is that minor injuries units in only four community hospitals need to be reopened, then they obviously have no desire to tackle the lengthy waiting times for diagnosis and treatment in Wales."