Local Senedd Members Paul Davies and Samuel Kurtz have issued a joint warning over the future of emergency care in Pembrokeshire, stressing the critical importance of maintaining full local A&E provision at Withybush Hospital in light of alarming new analysis from the Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM).
The RCEM’s figures, showing more than 900 excess deaths linked to long A&E waits across Wales last year, underline the scale of the emergency care crisis and the urgent need for action. Their findings reveal record-breaking numbers of patients waiting over 12 hours in Emergency Departments and dangerous delays that put lives at risk.
Both Members say the data reinforces the case for protecting and strengthening emergency services at Withybush, noting that local access to timely A&E care is essential for a rural county like Pembrokeshire, where travel times to distant hospitals can be life-threatening.
The RCEM has called on political parties ahead of the Senedd elections to commit to tackling A&E overcrowding, improving staffing levels, investing in digital systems, and increasing transparency in performance data. These asks align closely with longstanding Welsh Conservative commitments to declare a health emergency to ensure safe and accessible emergency services across Wales.
Commenting, Paul Davies MS said: "The findings from the Royal College of Emergency Medicine make for deeply concerning reading. Despite promises of action, the Welsh Government has failed to deliver meaningful improvements and as a result, far too many patients are still waiting in our A&E departments – and even worse, some people dying needlessly."
"These findings also underline the vital importance of retaining emergency services at our local hospitals. People should not be forced to travel further for urgent treatment. Hywel Dda University Health Board’s latest consultation on clinical services includes options that would remove Emergency General Surgery provision — a move that I believe, would be unacceptable. I urge the Health Board to take these findings seriously and commit to safeguarding services at Withybush Hospital."
Samuel Kurtz MS added: Access to a proper A&E isn’t a luxury for Pembrokeshire, it’s a lifeline. The RCEM is clear: long waits cost lives, and cutting local emergency care would only put our communities at greater risk. Patients and staff deserve better. The RCEM has set out practical steps the next Welsh Government must take, and I fully back their call for urgent action to tackle overcrowding and dangerous delays.
Withybush Hospital must be central to that plan. Keeping full A&E services here is vital to protect patients, support staff, and ensure people in Pembrokeshire get the emergency care they need when they need it.”
