Ceredigion’s Welsh Liberal Democrat MP Mark Williams has challenged the Hywel Dda Health Board over their plans for the new Cardigan health facility, at a meeting held yesterday with local Councillors, and politicians from Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire and Ceredigion.

Commenting, Mark Williams said:

‘I am grateful to the Hywel Dda representatives for meeting local elected representatives. Not a cosy tete-a-tete as suggested in your letters page last week, but a very frank discussion which I hope will lead to a constructive dialogue in the future.

‘It was made clear to the Hywel Dda representatives just how concerned the people of Cardigan are about the loss of beds in their hospital, the petition will make that abundantly clear. I left the meeting unclear, and with no assurance that there would definitely be NHS beds on site. I fear there will not.

‘I hope the timetable for the development will be speeded up, after the pre-Christmas shock announcement, and that NHS beds will be a feature. I also urged the Board to improve their communications both with the community, and the staff. When the initial announcement of bed closures was announced, staff at the hospital were left in the dark, which was completely unacceptable.’