A Ceredigion Penfro MS has challenged the First Minister over the growing pressure on rural social care in west Wales, warning that families across Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion are being left without the support they need.

Speaking during First Minister’s Questions, Reform UK MS Claire Archibald said that years of reducing services in rural hospitals had not been matched by proper investment in community care.

Claire, who has previously worked as a carer, raised concerns about delayed discharges, families struggling to get support, and people being denied the chance to spend their final days at home with loved ones.

She said: “Across Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion, Labour has reduced the clinical role in our rural hospitals, but the community care to fill the gap has simply not been put in place.

“The results are delayed discharges, families left struggling, and many people denied the chance to spend their final days at home with their loved ones.

“We have providers across west Wales handing back contracts, refusing referrals and shelving expansion because they cannot recruit the workforce.’’

Following First Minister Questions, the MS said: “I have seen first-hand how important good care is, both for the person who needs support and for the family around them.

“When community care is not there, people stay in hospital longer than they need to, families are left fighting for help, and people lose the chance to be cared for at home.

“This is especially serious in rural areas like Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion, where distance, workforce shortages and reduced local services all make the pressure worse.

“For too long, rural social care has been left to carry the burden while services are taken away elsewhere.

“People in west Wales deserve better than warm words.

“They need clear action, proper workforce planning, and frontline care that actually reaches them.”