A SET of key meetings due to take place across South Wales including Powys to decide on the future of the most serious hospital services have been postponed.

Powys teaching Health Board (tHB) was one of six across South Wales, stretching from Swansea in the West to Gwent in the east, due to consider their responses to the so called South Wales Programme tomorrow (Thurs, Dec 12).

But late on Wednesday, December 11 it was announced all six meetings have been postponed until the new year.

The only explanation given as to why the meetings cannot go ahead is that further work is needed to be carried out by the programme board on a 'small but important number of details' that have emerged 'over the last few days'.

The South Wales Programme, which was consulted on during the summer, is a response, approved by clinicians, to the future of major hospitals in the region. The programme board is drawn from the six health boards and the Welsh Ambulance Service. It will next meet on Tuesday, December 17.

Dr Andrew Goodall, chief executive of the Aneurin Bevan Health Board, and lead chief executive for the programme, said: "The South Wales Programme is a vitally important piece of work for the NHS in South Wales and South Powys and while we recognise that postponing the special meetings to allow this work to be finalised by the programme board is disappointing for the boards and the public, it is important that we complete all the work needed to reach a collective decision."

The programme board has proposed basing consultant led maternity and neonatal care, inpatient children's services as well as accident and emergency care in a network of five hospitals at Swansea, Bridgend, Cardiff, Merthyr Tydfil and a yet to be built Specialist Critical Care Centre (SCCC) in Cwmbran.

In a statement issued with programme director Paul Hollard, Dr Goodall said the decision related to how to manage the major services, which are described as 'fragile', between the decision on their future being made and the decision being put into practice.

The programme has long been dogged by its reliance on a new hospital, the £242 million Specialist Critical Care Centre (SCCC) at Cwmbran being built. It is expected it will not be completed any sooner than 2019 and basing services at the SCCC is included in all models consulted on. The SCCC passed the second of a Welsh Government three stage approval process in October.

The statement added the programme board is also giving further consideration to the long-term strategy for the future pattern of hospital services across South Wales and how health boards continue to work collaboratively.

Powys tHB was due to meet at Bronllys Hospital to discuss its response. Though it doesn't provide any of the consultant led service services provided it relies on sending patients from South Powys to major out of county hospitals for treatment.