Proposal could see inpatient beds close at most Powys hospitals

Doctors in Powys are calling on the health board to reconsider proposals which could close inpatient beds in most of the county's community hospitals.

According to GPs, if this happens it would make access to healthcare more difficult in rural communities and would make the hospitals no longer "fit for the local population".

If approved, BBC Wales understands the changes would reduce the number of community hospital beds from about 160 to 60, leaving inpatient wards in Brecon and Newtown only.

Powys Teaching Health Board (PTHB) said no final decisions had been made and a public consultation on the proposals was expected to begin in September.

The options are being considered as part of the health board's Better Together programme and could see the closure of inpatient beds at Welshpool, Machynlleth, Llandrindod Wells, Ystradgynlais and Llanidloes.

The changes could mean more patients recovering from treatment in general hospitals being sent dozens of miles from home or even across the border to England - a situation which is already the case for some.

David Summers, from Llandrindod Wells, said his wife Anne faced being sent to a hospital in Ross-on-Wye after being discharged from Hereford County Hospital.

Anne, 76, was diagnosed with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) 32 years ago, a chronic disease where the immune system attacks healthy tissues and organs.

She takes around 40 tablets a day, and is often in the general hospital in Hereford for treatment.

After spending three weeks there in the spring, she was due to be discharged to the community hospital in Ross-on-Wye, about 90 minutes from her home in Llandrindod Wells.

Anne's husband David, 78, who has a heart condition and arthritis in his shoulder, said the health board wanted to send her to Ross-on-Wye as there were no beds available in Powys.

"It's a nightmare for me then, and I don't know how somebody without a car would even get there," he said.

David refused to allow Anne to be discharged to England, and through a county councillor contacted PTHB directly who managed to find a bed at Bronllys community hospital near Brecon.

He said this would happen far more often if the number of beds in Powys hospitals was reduced, describing the proposal as "horrendous".

"I cannot see the sense in it. Closing these beds will be a disaster, absolute disaster for people," he said.

"The age of the people living in Powys is elderly, so we need these hospitals."

Doctors based in surgeries across Powys have written to PTHB to object to any proposals to reduce the number of community hospital beds.

The GPs from towns including Machynlleth, Llanidloes, Brecon, Builth Wells and Llandrindod Wells are calling on the health board to reconsider the proposals.

They said "weakening" community hospital services risked "increasing pressure on already overstretched secondary care services while making access to healthcare more difficult for people living in rural communities".

The GPs added that caring for patients in community hospitals across the border meant sending them into "more expensive parts of the healthcare system."

During Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday, David Chadwick, Liberal Democrat MP for Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe, asked Keir Starmer if he agreed that taking beds out of community hospitals was "not a solution for the crisis in social care".

The outgoing Prime Minister said he did not know the details of any proposals for Powys, adding a better answer would be provided in writing.

Elwyn Vaughan, Plaid Cymru MS for Gwynedd Maldwyn, said the plans would have "a huge impact" on communities across the county.

"The irony is we already have 26% of the population in Powys over 65 years of age at the moment," he said.

"Within 10 years, that'll be nearer 38%. So surely, we should be planning a sustainable service which reflects that ageing population, not decreasing the facilities."

Elwyn Vaughan also said he understood PTHB had received bills for an additional £20m from health trusts in England to cover the costs of treating patients over the border.

He said he would raise this with Mabon ap Gwynfor, Welsh Government's health minister.

Powys Teaching Health Board said the proposals for changes to community hospitals remained at an early stage and no decisions had been taken.

It said residents will be able to give their views during a formal public consultation expected to begin in September before any changes were considered.

The Welsh government said decisions about the configuration of local NHS services were the responsibility of the local health board, which was "best placed to assess the needs of its population".

It said: "We remain firmly committed to strengthening NHS services in Powys, as demonstrated by our 100-day commitment to commission a feasibility study of a Rapid Diagnostic Centre in the county and our plans to invest an additional £145m in the NHS this year as we push forward with our ambitious agenda to improve outcomes for people across Wales, including those in Powys."