Hundreds of people in Maesteg joined a protest to save their local hospital site as Deputy First Minister and local MS for Ogmore Huw Irranca-Davies said local people must be part of any decisions
Protest outside Maesteg Community Hospital, Maesteg(Image: Richard Swingler)
Hundreds of people gathered in Maesteg today to protest against the closure of the local community hospital in Maesteg as part of wider plans to develop a new health and wellbeing centre in Bridgend’s Llynfi Valley.
Protesters were joined by the Deputy First Minister Huw Irranca-Davies, who said he was there in his capacity as local MS for Ogmore. Mr Irranca-Davies said his local surgery was based at the site and local people, staff and clinicians must be involved in decisions about local services.
Stephen Kinnock, MP for Aberafan and Maesteg, has also sent a letter to Cwm Taf Health Board in support of local services along with Mr Irranca-Davies, Aberafan MS David Rees and local councillors. They also sent a message of support to those campaigning for the hospital.
Maesteg Community Hospital, opened in 1914 to care for injured soldiers returning from World War One, was built thanks to the local miners of the Llynfi Valley who donated a penny a week for its construction. You can read more about plans to relocate Maesteg Hospital services here
Protesters said vital local services including a GP surgery, X-ray and mental health runs from the site, among other departments. For our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation, sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here.
Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board said in 2023 that it wanted to develop and expand services at the hospital with Welsh Government funding of around £25m.
But last year it was revealed that this sum would no longer be enough to cover the costs of redeveloping the existing site which was estimated to be worth as much as £48m.
The health board said said far more than first thought would be needed to update the building to provide modern, accessible, and safe healthcare services for the community.
Plans now focus on creating a new facility elsewhere in the valley with a possible location near to Ewenny Road – close to a railway station and a number of major housing developments.
Speaking in front of protesters holding banners and signs demanding the hospital stays open at its current site Mr Irranca-Daves said: “I am here today with hundreds of people in support of our valued healthcare services in Maesteg.
“I live over the hill, half a mile away. This is my local surgery, my local hospital.
“I am pleased to be here today with so many people showing support for healthcare in the valley.
“It is great that we have got £30m on the table but what the health board needs to do is engage with local people on how that money is spent best for the valley.
“It will help deal with health inequalities in these valleys and help improve people’s health outcomes. But, there needs to be local people, clinicians and staff in the hospital that are part and parcel of the way forward.”
He added: “There are some really positive proposals for enhancing the healthcare in the area put forward by the health board, but some significant concerns remain.”
In a statement of support to those campaigning to save the hospital Mr Irranca-Davies as MS for Ogmore, David Rees MS for Aberafan, Stephen Kinnock MP for Aberafan and Maesteg, Caerau Cllr Paul Davies,Maesteg East Cllr Martin Hughes and Cllr Richard Collins for Maesteg West, said: “We stand firmly with the residents of Maesteg and the Llynfi and Afan valleys on the need for expanding and improving healthcare provision in the area. We want to see the £30m spent here. We do not want it lost from the valley.
“We stand firmly on the need to protect the future of the Maesteg Community Hospital building and site, which has provided many generations with healthcare. We are committed to protecting it.
“We recognise the health board has committed to expanding healthcare in important ways. There are some truly positive proposals but there remain outstanding concerns especially on beds and the future of the Maesteg Hospital itself.
“We will continue to engage robustly with the health board on these matters, supporting the views of the League of Friends of Maesteg Hospital and local residents. In direct response to the calls made by us and the League of Friends, the health board has confirmed they will meet urgently with the League of Friends and all elected representatives of the area to address concerns and explore the best way forward.
“The health board have also confirmed that no decisions have been taken, and – as we have directly called for – there will be more and wider public engagement before any decisions are taken.
“We believe that decisions must be based on clinical need and wider engagement – as stressed by the League of Friends of the hospital – and on engagement with patients and families, carers and those cared for, clinicians and community pharmacists, GPs and ancillary and support staff, the League of Friends and of course the wider public.
“We will work with anyone and everyone – most especially the people and communities of Maesteg and the Afan and Llynfi valleys – to get the best solution for the healthcare needs of this and future generations in the area. “
One protester, who asked not to be named, but who used to work at the hospital, claimed that staff had been told that if they attended the rally they could face disciplinary action.
She said both her children were born at the hospital and her GP surgery is there. It is near to her home and she was worried about lack of public transport for patients if the site is moved.
“It is worrying because it is important to have services in the community. They spent money refurbishing the hospital only a few years ago.”
Dean Ronan, Liberal Democrat Candidate for Afan Ogwr Rhondda, said: “This Saturday, local residents stood together to say clearly: Maesteg Hospital matters. Our town matters. And we will not be ignored.
“The protest represents the real voice of the community and a growing frustration with a Welsh Labour Government that has become increasingly out of touch with towns like ours.”
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