The trust already runs the trolley service at Singleton Hospital

Members of the WRVS have been told their services are no longer needed to sell drinks, sweets and newspapers on wards at Swansea's Morriston Hospital.

The NHS trust said it could increase its income by doing the job itself and promised patients would be unaffected.

The WRVS said the move had upset some volunteers, and there are concerns patients will be hit in their pockets.

The WRVS said its members had been active at the hospital since World War Two.

It received a letter from Swansea NHS Trust informing the charity the trust would take on the running of the service from April

The service to patients will be unaffected and the trust will benefit from increased income Swansea NHS Trust

A spokeswoman for the WRVS said the trolley rounds at Morriston were run by a mixture of paid staff and volunteers and that profits were handed over to the trust.

She said the charity was discussing the situation with the trust.

Plaid Cymru AM Dai Lloyd has written to trust chief executive Jane Perrin asking her to look again at the move.

He said: "A lot of these volunteers have given freely of their time and have brought about significant benefits to the hospital trust and its patients over the years.

Hospital shop

"To be discarded in this way for purely profitable motives is a disgrace.

"This extra move for income follows the implementation of a 50% increase in car-parking charges."

The trust said it already ran a similar service at Singleton Hospital in Swansea which had proved to be useful in generating additional funds.

"The service to patients will be unaffected and the trust will benefit from increased income," it said.

It said the WRVS would continue to run the shop at Morriston Hospital.