The new Outpatients Department at Withybush Hospital has officially opened its doors to Pembrokeshire people. The state-of-the-art outpatients facility is sited in the former administration area of the hospital and will host clinics for rheumatology, dermatology, oncology, diabetes, dietary, podiatry and eye appointments, as well as the majority of medical clinics. It will be crucial in helping to reduce waiting times in the future. Said acting chief executive Caroline Oakley: "This is a fantastic new facility for Pembrokeshire patients and is the culmination of much dedicated work to redesign outpatient services in the county." As part of the modernisation of services programme, NHS Trusts across Wales are charged with reducing waiting times to a maximum of 26 weeks from the time of referral. The Trust has already met all its waiting time targets for this year and this new outpatient accommodation will help to achieve further reductions by providing increased capacity to hold additional clinics in the future, alleviating pressure on existing clinics and creating the potential to see more patients. To support this, a number of enhancements to outpatient services are being proposed, including an increased number of nurse-led outpatient sessions, expansion of pre-assessment clinics and the transfer of some appropriate minor procedures from day surgery theatre. The new outpatients area is accessed through doors to the left of the main entrance, at the Withbush Retail Park end of the hospital. Meanwhile, work has now started on refurbishing part of the original outpatients department which may result in some clinics being held elsewhere for a short period. Said Mrs. Oakley: "This new facility will provide a much better environment for both patients and staff and will support improved ways of working between specialist nurses and therapists. Above all, it will help to reduce outpatient waiting times which is something all our patients want."