Burry Port’s Harbour View Surgery was the hot topic at a meeting of the Hywel Dda Health Board, which took place in Ammanford today, Thursday (May 25). A protest had been planned and local people were expecting a bus to ferry them to Ammanford as had been agreed at a full Town Council meeting.
Before the protest had got underway it was revealed that the bus had been cancelled. A resident wishing to travel to the protest who did not wish to be named told Llanelli Online that they were disappointed that the bus had been cancelled last minute and that they would like to know who made the decision and with what authority. The protester continued: If it is the case that someone cancelled the without consulting the people then that is wrong. There should have been a consensus and it should have been decided at full council as they agreed to put the bus on.
Labour’s candidate for Llanelli MP Nia Griffith also questioned why the bus had been cancelled. She said: “The decision to cancel the bus is baffling. In my view you don’t take your foot off the accelerator until the journey is finished. I don’t know what the reason for cancelling the bus was. That is now a matter for Burry Port Town Council
Speaking to Llanelli Online following the meeting Nia Griffith said: “The health board deal with our item first and people came out to have a further meeting outside with those who had travelled up by car. That meeting was very worthwhile.”
Asked if she was happy with the outcome of the meeting Nia Griffith said: It is a start. The Health Board is now focusing on what is happening to the patients. They apologised for not communicating very well. What we now need to focus on is what those services will be at that surgery. They need to alley people’s fears. People will worry. I hope the board will continue with this work. They have agreed to have another meeting with the council on June 6th.”
Speaking about the future of the local pharmacy Nia Griffith said: “We have a great admiration for the work of the pharmacy in Burry Port. It has become a prescribing pharmacy. We understand that there will be a continuing role for them.”
In summary, it is understood that around thirty people who turned up and allowed entry to the meeting. Hywel Dda moved the two points concerning the Burry Port surgery to the beginning of the meeting and we were told that they answered them quite well. The public were asked to leave and the meeting continued outside the hall. We were told that Hywel dda were quite apologetic and said they were acting under the purdah rules because the problem arose during elections. It is understood though not yet confirmed that around 1,000 patients will be transferred from the Harbour View Surgery to the new surgery. Others will be transferred elsewhere including those who live nearer Kidwelly or Burry Port.
