“Our communities need clear answers now” on health plans, Senedd Member says

I am deeply concerned by reports that Powys Teaching Health Board could be reducing inpatient beds across community hospitals which has caused understandable panic.

In a rural county like ours, local hospital beds are not an optional extra. They are a lifeline for patients, families and the wider Welsh NHS.

The proposals reportedly being considered could affect hospitals including Builth Wells, Bronllys, Knighton, Llandrindod Wells, Llanidloes, Machynlleth, Welshpool and Ystradgynlais.

No final decision has been made, but our communities need clear answers now, not after plans have been shaped behind closed doors!

PTHB is different from other health boards. We cover a vast rural area, public transport is limited and many residents travel long distances for treatment, including over the border to England.

Reducing local beds could mean patients being sent further from home, making visits harder for relatives and placing more pressure on hospitals elsewhere.

It is important to be honest about responsibility. These operational decisions are made by Powys Teaching Health Board themselves alone, but Welsh Government Ministers cannot wash their hands of the consequences.

If local services are at risk because of financial pressures, Ministers must ensure Powys receives the funding it needs and have the power to intervene when necessary.

I have contacted the health board and Welsh Government to seek clarity. I want to know what is being considered, which hospitals could be affected and how patients will be protected.

Community hospitals must remain at the heart of healthcare in Powys. I will keep pressing for answers, more funding and accountability, because our services need to be strengthened, not quietly stripped away!

Brycheiniog Tawe Nedd Senedd Member James Evans