The health board say they want to provide better access to services

Staff say they have been warned that both Prince Charles hospital in Merthyr Tydfil and the Royal Glamorgan at Llantrisant could be downgraded.

The Merthyr local health board (LHB) said no decisions have been made.

It said it wanted to provide better local access and more centres of excellence where resources were scarce.

Ted Wilson, the chief executive of Merthyr LHB, said they would be consulting with all staff and the public about the proposed changes.

"Obviously we want to talk to the public and staff about how they see the future of their health services in their area," he said.

"No decisions have been made. But we must change because health needs are changing in terms of the ageing population and because we have scarce resources in terms of our specialist clinical staff.

"We need to ensure they provide a service that is most effective and most appropriate and safe for the population."

POLICY SUMMARY Plans to address high levels of chronic disease and access to services More modern facilities, including new �36m Ysbyty Cwm Rhondda for 2008 Continued investment in Merthyr hospitals 'Bring closer together' Prince Charles and Royal Glamorgan's acute services

But there are fears that patients may have to travel miles in future for critical and emergency care.

The south-east NHS area stretches from Chepstow to Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan.

The Merthyr and Rhondda Cynon Taf area has two district general hospitals - the 430-bed Prince Charles at Merthyr and the 577-bed Royal Glamorgan at Llantrisant - covering a population of 300,000.

Staff have been warned that either one or both could be downgraded.

Union leaders at Merthyr say 75,000 people used the casualty department last year and that any downgrading would have a serious impact.

One idea is to downgrade both Prince Charles and Royal Glamorgan and build a new hospital, covering critical care, somewhere in the middle.

The Royal Glamorgan is Wales' newest major hospital, while it is estimated that �100m would be needed to refurbish Prince Charles.