Health of our communities
Our population is growing and people need more support to stay well and independent, especially in older age. Demand on health and care services is growing.
Fragile services
The way we provide care has changed in 50 years and in our area we are duplicating care across four main hospitals, with differences in how we deliver services, safety, and quality. This means our services are fragile and it is difficult to develop some specialist services in our area, meaning people travel further for them and we want the opportunity to develop more of these locally.
Workforce
We have fewer staff than needed and our doctors cover more shifts (rotas) than at some other NHS organisations, causing us difficulties in keeping and recruiting staff. This means we rely too much on expensive agency staff and due to them being unfamiliar with local guidance, procedures, and other team members, this risks poorer quality of care for you, and fragile services that may collapse.
Digital
We do not currently fully use digital opportunities to best meet the needs of our population, especially for those who must travel to access services. Latest technologies will help you by connecting you with health care professionals and monitoring your conditions, and also help us to attract the best workforce.
Buildings and facilities
Hospital buildings, including most of Glangwili and some of Withybush hospitals, are old and need a lot of maintenance to keep them working and safe. Their condition doesn’t support delivery of modern healthcare and can mean poorer patient and staff experience.
Environment
Our older buildings and other issues such as high levels of backlog maintenance, poor insulation and heating systems and using oil as a principal fuel source, mean that we have some of the least energy efficient sites from across Wales