‘We are very concerned for our members and our communities,’ Wales UNISON head of health Dave Gallaghan told News Line yesterday.
He was responding to the launch of a public consultation over proposals to decimate the major hospital services in north Wales and mid-Wales.
Gallaghan said that in north Wales: ‘They’re talking about closing Abergele Hospital, HM Stanley Hospital at St Asaph’s and Llandudno Hospital.’
The plan over the next five to ten years is to move specialist services into the three general hospitals at Ysbyty Gwynedd in Bangor, Glan Clwyd in Bodelwyddan and Wrexham Maelor.
The UNISON official added: ‘There’s a mirror consultation exercise for Mid Wales which is more radical.
‘That involves closing two district general hospitals – West Wales Hospital at Glangwili in Carmarthen and Withybush Hospital, Haverford in Pembrokeshire – and building a new one.
‘We have severe concerns but have not seen the details yet.
‘The new hospital build has implications for Welsh Assembly policy which is against PFI. We in UNISON oppose PFI.’
He concluded: ‘We have to look at it closer but the implications of the mid Wales plan for the population are fairly horrific.’
Returning to the north Wales proposals, Gallaghan continued: ‘We’re consulting on the implications of the plan.
‘We do have concerns. Services are moving away from rural communities and are being concentrated in congested acute sites.
‘But you can only do so much with the capacity you have.’
He added that those in rural communities will find it hard if the planned changes go ahead.
He said: ‘People who don’t live near urban areas will suffer.
‘There’s no public transport to speak of and people will have to depend on finding ways of getting to hospitals that are further away.’
The plans initially include moving acute services from Llandudno, which will lose three coronary beds and have its breast cancer services transferred elsewhere.
Orthopaedic cases are to be moved from Abergele to Glan Clwyd, Ophthalmology is to be moved from HM Stanley to Glan Clwyd, and stroke rehabilitation services from HM Stanley to a ‘more suitable site’.
The consultation document warns that further discussion on the future of Abergele, HM Stanley and Llandudno hospitals, may include closure.
North Wales Royal College of Nursing official Gareth Phillips told News Line: ‘We’d be opposed to any redundancies. we will not accept the justification for redundancies.
‘More likely, there will be redeployment but that has to be for reasons of patient care.’
A group of former patients calling themselves the Abergelians have banded together to save Abergele hospital.
Campaigner Jean Daniel said yesterday: ‘This hospital serves a vital need in the community, because it deals with bone problems it’s mainly senior citizens who go there.’
She added: ‘They’ve spent money on a new car park, there are two operating theatres there, I can’t see why they would want to close it.’