Sarah Edwards MS, Member of the Senedd for Carmarthenshire, has launched a community call to action urging local people to make their voices heard following the withdrawal of X-ray services at Llandovery Hospital.
From Monday 3 August 2026, X-ray services at Llandovery Hospital were withdrawn as part of changes approved by Hywel Dda University Health Board. Patients now face round trips of more than fifty miles to Glangwili Hospital in Carmarthen for a service that was, until recently, available on their doorstep.
Added pressure on an already-stretched hospital
The move places further strain on a general hospital already under significant pressure. Residents have described lengthy waits at Glangwili, with one account relayed to the office describing a patient who arrived at ten in the morning and did not leave until seven that evening. Healthcare Inspectorate Wales has previously found evidence of overcrowding at the hospital’s emergency department.
Sarah Edwards has warned that the loss of the X-ray unit must not be allowed to pass quietly, and that silence risks being taken as acceptance.
“This is our hospital, and the people of Llandovery have every right to fight for it. Families here have relied on this service for generations, and now they face journeys of more than fifty miles and long waits at a hospital that is already stretched to its limits. That is not something any of us should accept in silence.”
“If we say nothing, we risk losing far more than an X-ray unit. We risk losing our hospital. That is why I am asking everyone who cares about Llandovery to take a few minutes and make their voice heard. The more of us who speak up, the harder we are to ignore.”
Have your say in three steps
Sarah Edwards’s office is encouraging residents to write to Hywel Dda University Health Board, and has produced a ready-made letter template to make it as easy as possible.
- Use the letter template for reference. Download the ready-made template, personalise it with your own details and story, and send it, or use it as a guide for your own letter.
- Send your letter to the Health Board. By email to Hyweldda.Engagement@wales.nhs.uk, by post to FREEPOST HYWEL DDA HEALTH BOARD, or to the Health Board’s corporate offices at Ystwyth Building, Hafan Derwen, St David’s Park, Jobswell Road, Carmarthen, SA31 3BB.
- Share this campaign. The more people who see it, the more letters are sent, and the harder the community is to ignore.
Who we especially want to hear from
- Residents of Llandovery and the surrounding villages
- Anyone who has used the hospital, or whose family has
- Former doctors, nurses and NHS staff
- Carers, and anyone who worries about elderly or less mobile neighbours
“This is our community hospital,” Sarah Edwards added. “Let’s stand up for it, as a community together.”
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