PATIENTS claim they have been told a day surgery unit at a Swansea hospital will be shut for good in a bid to save cash.

They say nurses at the department in Morriston Hospital have been told to look for new jobs elsewhere in the wake of the closure plan.

Bosses at Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University Health Board said they are reviewing the way they deliver day services as part of their HealthVision Swansea plan.

The aim of the strategy is to make better use of the services available at Morriston and Singleton Hospitals, without duplicating what's available.

Patient Dai Cook, of Kingrosia Park, in Clydach, said he feared the nearest day surgery unit, which usually sees patients within 24 hours, would be in Cardiff.

But health board chiefs have refuted the claim that any patients will have to travel outside Swansea for day services.

Mr Cook, aged 66, said the closure of the department would be a great loss to people living across Swansea.

He said: "I was told by staff that one of the bosses had come down and told them they were shutting the day unit operating in Morriston.

"It's absolutely crazy."

He added: "What's going to happen to people who need day surgery — will they have to go to Cardiff instead?"

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An Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University Health Board spokeswoman said it was looking to make better use of Swansea's two acute hospitals at Morriston and Singleton.

"Central to this is avoiding inefficiencies and unnecessary duplications by ensuring Morriston and Singleton complement each other, and work as a team to deliver the best possible hospital services across Swansea," she said.

"But we can give assurances that there is absolutely no question of any local patients going to Cardiff, and that there will continue to be day surgery in Swansea hospitals."

elizabeth.perkins@swwmedia.co.uk