The walk-in service, led by advanced nurse practitioners, will be based at the town’s Cottage Hospital building and will be run in collaboration with the Tenby GP practice which is next door.
It is hoped that the full service will be up and running by the summer. In the meantime, an interim service will be put in place over the Easter period.
The Hywel Dda University Health Board (UHB) agreed at its meeting last week to support the development of the new service.
It follows a review of the successful 10-day pilot that ran last Easter.
Said Jill Paterson, the UHB’s interim director of commissioning, primary care and therapies and health sciences: “The health board is pleased to announced the decision to commission this new service in Tenby. While there are some practical arrangements to address, such as staff recruitment, we hope that the full service will be operational by the summer.”
Local health watchdogs, the South East Pembrokeshire Community Health Network (SEPCHN) had previously written to UHB chair Bernardine Rees expressing concern at the delay in bringing in the service.
SEPCHN chairman Mansel Thomas said there were still issues that needed resolving, and he had requested a “detailed report for the Tenby public” from the board.
Labour AM for Mid and West Wales Eluned Morgan says the setting up of an implementation board which will include members of the local community sends the right message about ensuring that services are as local to communities as possible.
Mrs Morgan said: “This is just the sort of innovative collaboration between Primary Care and Community Services that myself and my Labour colleagues in South Pembrokeshire have been calling for.
“It ensures that, once again, patients will get the care they need quickly without the need to travel long distances.
“I’m pleased that the Health Board will involve the local community, who have campaigned for so long to see a sustainable service developed for local patients. This is something Labour supported local health campaigners on over the last few years, arranging for the Health Minister to visit Tenby last year to hear local concerns for himself”.
