Action for Children has been working in partnership with Hywel Dda University Health Board to launch a much-needed transport service for families in Pembrokeshire.

The scheme wsa launched on Tuesday, September 1, and will initially run as a pilot project for a year and aims to reduce the number of missed appointments and prevent young families who have attended hospital urgently from being stranded. It will link closely in particular with Community Midwives and Midwifery Led and Paediatric Ambulatory Care Units at both Withybush and Glangwili Hospitals.

Sandra White, children services manager for Action for Children in Pembrokeshire, said: “We have 15 volunteers who will work on a rota basis to transport families to and from hospital depending on the individual requirements of the family. Being such a rural county, people can be isolated from key public services, especially in areas where families face many issues in their day to day lives.

“We know that rates of missed appointments need to be reduced and that people have also found that they have been rushed to hospital by ambulance and then have no way of getting home once the emergency has passed. This can be very traumatic if you’re a young mother and your child is unwell. We’re very pleased to be working with Hywel Dda University Health Board on this excellent way to support families in rural communities to access health services, free of charge.”

The project is part of wider transport solutions that have been put in place such as innovative ticket systems for the bus service, use of taxis and other forms of transport services meeting the needs of the wider community.

Peter Llewellyn, assistant director of strategic partnerships at Hywel Dda University Health Board, added: “We are delighted to have worked in partnership with Action for Children in Pembrokeshire to provide this new service to support children and families to access services across the area. The added value of working with the third sector and other partners locally has seen this development progress rapidly and we look forward to demonstrating its value as a pilot project over the next 12 months.”