Withybush Hospital, Haverfordwest, continues to be able to admit patients and keep the doors to its Emergency and Urgent Care Centre open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, despite significant medical workforce challenges, Hywel Dda University Health Board (UHB) confirmed last week

The hospital is facing a temporary shortage of doctors whilst some of those recruited by the UHB await visas. Recruitment by the UHB has been necessary after the Wales Deanery were unable to send any junior core training doctors to the hospital for the regular August start.

The UHB is now putting a plan in place to enable the hospital to safely care for patients and keep the medical intake and the Emergency and Urgent Care Centre open. Because there are fewer doctors available for a temporary period - expected to be August through to December with a continually improving position as doctors take up their positions - the overall patient activity levels will be reduced during this period.

Chief executive Steve Moore explained: "Our priority, both for our Pembrokeshire patients and the wider Hywel Dda community, has been to find a solution that keeps Withybush Hospital open to medical admissions and to keep the doors to the Emergency and Urgent Care Centre open.

"I am really proud of our staff - both those on the frontline providing patient care and in back office functions - who have been able to work together on this solution, which means patients can continue to use and access healthcare services as they usually do.

"I would like to stress that the changes we are putting in place to allow this to happen are temporary and we are rebuilding a long term healthcare model for the hospital with our doctors and other staff."

The temporary changes are as follows: new medical rotas, with ward based working, will be put in place to allow doctors to work together in teams to care for patients based around specific wards; the number of patients admitted to Withybush Hospital overall will be reduced so that the UHB can safely maintain a 24/7 service with the doctors available; this will be achieved by temporarily changing the catchment area of Withybush Hospital, diverting GP admissions and ambulance transfers from Cardigan, Narberth, Kilgetty, Saundersfoot and Tenby to Glanwgili Hospital, Carmarthen; the road network from these communities is good and travel times similar to Glangwili Hospital as Withybush Hospital so patients are not disadvantaged and the impact on the Welsh Ambulance Services Trust is also lessened; more beds will be provided at Glangwili and Prince Philip Hospital to care for these patients, supported by medical and nursing staff allocated to the hospital and agency staff where necessary.

Bronglais Hospital remains unaffected by these changes.

Alternative options considered, but discarded by the UHB in light of the preferred model included a reduced hours intake of medical patients to core daytime hours only. This would have threatened the ability to keep the Emergency and Urgent Care Department open at night and on weekends.

Mr. Moore, who spoke at an all staff meeting in Withybush Hospital yesterday morning, (whilst meetings also took place in other main hospitals), said: "We don't underestimate this significant workforce challenge but we believe it can be overcome with the measures we are taking, and with as little disruption to patients as possible.

"We are actively looking at new and innovative models of care to put the hospital on a firmer footing in the long term and providing care as close to home where we can. This takes time and we ask staff, patients and the public to work with us while we put them in place.

"Patients can help their local health service in the meantime by choosing their healthcare services carefully so that they get the best and quickest access to care and reserve emergency services for those who need them most."

The Choose Well guidance can help you decide what service is best to meet your needs - http://www.hywelddahb.wales.nhs.uk/choosewell">www.hywelddahb.wales.nhs.uk/choosewell