 Chris Overton has been suspended from duty at Withybush Hospital |
A consultant who handed out leaflets criticising the running of the Welsh hospital where he works has been suspended by his employers. Chris Overton is off work from Withybush Hospital in Haverfordwest, pending an investigation by Pembrokeshire and Derwen NHS Trust.
In the leaflet he claimed the hospital had lost beds and reduced services to save on nursing costs.
The trust confirmed he was suspended for non-clinical matters.
Mr Overton, 45, a consultant in obstetrics and gynaecology, distributed the leaflets after Christmas to shoppers in Haverfordwest.
On the advice of the British Medical Association he has declined to comment.
The trust said a locum had been recruited to cover for him.
In a statement it said: "We can confirm that a member of the trust's consultant medical staff has been suspended.
 The leaflet contains claims about cuts in services at the hospital |
"We are unable to comment further pending current investigations but the consultant concerned wishes it to be known that the action taken does not in any way relate to matters of clinical practice."
Patient care
Last summer, Mr Overton wrote to patients and GPs bemoaning NHS cost-cutting.
In the leaflet Mr Overton claimed the numbers of beds at the hospital had been cut by 23, which he said would affect specialties at the hospital.
He said the management was intent on closing wards "thus reducing nursing costs at the expense of patient care.
 |  Movement of obstetrics will lead to loss of special care baby facilities and ultimately paediatrics, which will lead to additional dead children  |
He also raised concern about care for women with gynaecological problems and said obstetric services could be moved to Carmarthen and Swansea.
"Movement of obstetrics will lead to loss of special care baby facilities and ultimately paediatrics, which will lead to additional dead children," claimed the leaflet.
Mr Overton urged people to lobby the trust chief executive Frank O'Sullivan, Jane Hutt - who was then Welsh health minister - the local health board and community health council.
He included phone and fax numbers for them on the leaflet.
'Increase staffing'
But the trust claimed as a result of ward changes there would be a net increase of 11 beds at the hospital in comparison to 12 months ago.
It said it had also invested in a new day surgical unit, additional high dependency unit beds and planned to extend endoscopy services.
"These changes to the way in which services are delivered mean that more patients will receive surgical treatment and in more suitable environments," it said in a statement.
"Contrary to the allegation of reducing nursing costs, the savings that the trust is able to make through the ward changes will be used to increase nurse staffing across many wards and departments."
The trust said it was committed to ensuring Pembrokeshire had the best possible obstetrics and gynaecology services.
But it said the way in which services were delivered in Wales was being looked at following the Wanless review of the Welsh NHS, although said it was at an early stage and "entirely unrelated to the ward changes at Withybush Hospital."
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