Councillors hear Health Board Bluestone claim was ‘inaccurate’

A health board report which claims Pembrokeshire County Council recommended Bluestone holiday park be used an emergency Covid field hospital is inaccurate, senior councillors heard today.

Hywel Dda University Health Board worked with Pembrokeshire County Council in setting up a 126-bed Ysbyty Carreg Las Covid-19 field hospital in April 2020, with Bluestone National Park Resort identified as the most suitable location by the health board.

However, minutes of a 2020 Hywel Dda meeting state the county council had recommended the site, which has been refuted by Pembrokeshire.

Last month, Council Leader David Simpson said the council was not part of the decision by Hywel Dda to site the field hospital at Bluestone, adding: “At no point did Pembrokeshire County Council recommend Bluestone to Hywel Dda, the decision was made by senior managers at Hywel Dda.”

He made the statement following a Notice of Motion submitted by Councillor Alan Dennison, who had asked: “Given that Bluestone was the Pembrokeshire County Council recommended facility for the field hospital during the pandemic, does the cabinet member now consider this was the right choice, given the overall costs of over £10m to the Hywel Dda health board and the loss of income (and centre refurbishment) to the council by not utilising Pembrokeshire leisure centres as Carmarthenshire County Council did?”

Cllr Dennison had also submitted a related Notice of Motion “That any decision taken by PCC in similar circumstances to that of the pandemic response to supply of field hospitals must primarily take into account the financial benefits to the council and ratepayers and not to recommend or endorse any private commercial venture”.

The related notice of motion for forwarded to today’s April 24 meeting of the council’s Cabinet.

In his supporting submission, Cllr Dennison said: “This NoM is submitted in order to foster public confidence in the system.

“Decisions of this nature should always be made following a robust cost benefit analysis in a manner that supports transparency and openness.”

A report for Cabinet members stated: “PCC officers supported senior officers in Hwyel Dda when constructing the field hospital, it was however a Hwyel Dda-led project and all decisions relating to the specification, location and costs were made by Hwyel Dda, the role of PCC was one of a delivery partner for construction not one as a decision maker.

“The development location was chosen by HDUHB Officials from a series of options made available to them, PCC correspondence with HDUHB offers a number of potential sites including schools and leisure centres, and whilst they did introduce Bluestone for potential consideration following an offer from the company to be of assistance, PCC officers, did not recommend Bluestone as a preferred site, over any of the others; this decision was made by HDUHB.”

Chief Executive Will Bramble told members he had reviewed all paperwork connected, confirming a number of options had been presented to Hywel Dda.

Cabinet members backed a recommendation the notice of motion be referred to the health board, and that the council work with the board “to request formal recognition that minutes of HDUHB board meeting suggesting that PCC recommended the Bluestone site were inaccurate”.

At the April 24 meeting, Cllr Dennison said he had received a 25-page confidential review from the health board, following a Freedom of Information request, which included at least five mentions that the council had recommended the Bluestone site.

Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Place, the Region and Climate Change Councillor Paul Miller said the report for members showed the option of other facilities was included, adding: “If Cllr Dennison has information that we recommended Bluestone, and only Bluestone, I would very interested to hear it.”

It was previously reported by the Local Democracy Service that the emergency hospital – known as Ysbyty Carreg Las – resulted in around £6million paid to the local holiday resort.

Costs incurred at Bluestone were met by Hywel Dda.