NHS: Hywel Dda unveils five sites for new hospital

Five sites in contention for a new hospital in west Wales have been named by Hywel Dda health board.

It wants to build on the border of Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire, ultimately ending emergency care at Withybush and Glangwili hospitals.

The board is putting forward a business case for £1.3bn from Welsh government for the hospital and other plans.

One site is on the edge of Narberth, with the others on the outskirts of Whitland and near St Clears.

Hywel Dda's director of strategic development and operational planning Lee Davies said it was a "step closer to selecting a site for the new hospital".

The business case for the new hospital, which will look after urgent and planned care, has been submitted to the Welsh government.

It and Hywel Dda will pick the site, although local people are being asked to "score" the locations.

The new hospital is not expected to be built until at least 2029.

It 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.

In February, the planned downgrade of Withybush Hospital led to protests who wanted to retain emergency services there.

There were worries extra travel to a new hospital could cost lives.

Demonstrator Moira Lewis, from Goodwick, said at the time: "We are so far away from other hospitals.

"It's 44 miles from Goodwick to Carmarthen, and ambulances don't turn up as quickly as they could.

"This will all add to the pressure. At the end of the day, somebody could die before they arrive."