Welsh Labour pledges £4bn fund to support West Wales hospital

Wales’ First Minister Eluned Morgan has made it clear that if Welsh Labour is returned to power in May, the party will back a major new hospital development in West Wales as part of a £4 billion ‘Hospitals for the Future Fund’.
The commitment comes at a time of strong public feeling about the future of services at Withybush Hospital, where thousands have signed a petition calling for certainty over local provision.
At Welsh Labour’s campaign launch this month, Eluned Morgan said she understands why emotions are running high.
“I know how much Withybush means to people. I’ve had the conversations. I’ve looked people in the eye who are worried about what the future holds for their local hospital. And I want to be honest with people - this isn’t simple. If it was, it would have been solved years ago,” said the Senedd Member for Mid & West Wales.
She acknowledged the very real pressures facing hospital services in West Wales - not just ageing buildings, but difficulties recruiting and retaining enough specialist doctors, nurses and consultants to guarantee safe care.
“Buildings matter. But what really matters is whether you can staff services safely,” she continued.
“Patient safety and timely care must always come first - not politics, not headlines. No other party has offered any realistic alternative which is deliverable which is why I hope people in West Wales will endorse this new hospital.”
Welsh Labour’s £4 billion Hospitals for the Future Fund will modernise some of the oldest NHS estates in Wales over the next decade, with West Wales central to that long-term plan. Eluned Morgan made clear that she wants the Health Board to look at all options as proposals are developed.
Eluned continued: “In light of this new commitment, I would like the health board to look again at a realistic hospital proposal that delivers safe, sustainable services for the future.
“For too long, people in West Wales have heard talk of a new hospital without seeing it become reality. Plans were drawn up in the past, but after years of Tory cuts, especially to the capital budget, the funding simply wasn’t there to deliver them. That’s the truth.
“Today, we are in a different place. After 14 years of austerity, we are now working with a UK Labour Government that understands Wales and is prepared to invest in our public services. Real investment is now possible if Welsh Labour leads the next Welsh Government.
“This is about securing the future. Modern facilities. Safer care. Services designed around patients and staff - local residents deserve that.
“What I won’t do is pretend that patching up buildings from another era is a long-term solution if we can’t staff them safely.
“Welsh Labour rebuilt schools through our 21st Century Schools Programme because children deserve modern places to learn. Now Welsh Labour has the same ambition for our hospitals.
“The Hospitals for the Future Fund will sit at the heart of Welsh Labour’s long-term plan for a sustainable NHS - bringing