Prince Philip Hospital: Minor injuries unit staff feel ‘unsafe’

This is clear evidence of the impact of staff shortages on yet another part of the Welsh NHS.

The MIU sees about 31,000 patients a year is led by GPs and nurses, but the health board argues that a lack of doctors has meant about 42 shifts couldn’t be filled between February and July.

It’s true that Hywel Dda health board has some the worst staff shortages in Wales, with vacancy rates for doctors and dentists reaching almost 20% and a number of surgeries also closing their doors.

But this isn’t new.

Back in 2011, when the plans were announced to change the A&E at Prince Phillip into a Minor Injuries Unit, bosses argued then that services were spread too thinly.

For years they’ve promised that centralising services, including at a new hospital, would help with recruitment and put things on a firmer footing… but that hospital is still years from being delivered.

As challenges persist, people might feel angry about what they see as services being eroded with little to show in return.

The health board argues that safety of patients and staff lies at the heart of its decision, but cutting this service could increase the strain on neighbouring A&Es, at a time when those departments are bracing themselves for the most difficult months of winter.