Madam,

Through your pages, can I reiterate to the Hywel Dda University Health Board the complete and utter unacceptability of any downgrading of services at Bronglais Hospital. At the very least, recent leaks prove that we as a community must be vigilant.

Personalities at the health Board may come and go, and ministers in the Cynulliad also, but the validity of our arguments, as residents of Ceredigion, as patients, as recipients of an excellent service by excellent staff, must once again prevail, and Bronglais be retained as District General Hospital.

A previous chief executive of the health board used to regularly share with me his vision of health care locally; a downgraded Bronglais, a centralised superhospital in Carmarthen, and our county a virtual ward. I was told that that vision worked in Greater Manchester (which it did not) and should work in rural west Wales. Once again, we must ask whether the theorists and strategists have any comprehension of the transport, service accessibility challenges in West Wales. We have won the battle against the vision twice before, and I sincerely hope that we will not have to fight it again.

The investment in Bronglais A & E and the creation of the Mid Wales Health Collaborative to develop services in mid Wales have been successes over the years. History must not judge them false dawns.

But the leaks as reported show once again that vigilance is required again by us all, in a united cross-party, cross-community effort.

One of the legacies of our earlier campaigns was the creation by our AM, health professionals, and myself of the Aber group to monitor and campaign for health services at Bronglais. That work is all the more important now.

Yours etc,

Mark Williams, MP for Ceredigion 2005-2017. Cliff Drive, Borth.

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