Lib Dems call for health board to be sacked over hospital plans

Mark Mansfield

The Welsh Liberal Democrats have called on the Health Minister to sack the board of Powys Teaching Health Board after it unanimously agreed to press ahead with a controversial consultation on the future of community hospitals.

The health board voted on Wednesday to begin a county-wide consultation on its Better Together proposals, which could see inpatient beds concentrated at fewer hospitals and urgent care services reorganised.

The consultation will run from October 5 until January 10, with final decisions on any changes not expected until spring 2027. The health board says no outcome has been predetermined.

But the Welsh Liberal Democrats have branded the consultation a “sham” and called on Plaid Cymru Health Minister Mabon ap Gwynfor to order the process to be paused.

They say he should sack the board if it refuses.

The vote came on the same day that Welsh Liberal Democrat MS Jane Dodds and MP David Chadwick handed the health board a petition containing 7,930 signatures opposing proposed changes to community hospitals.

The party argues that important options have already been ruled out before the formal consultation begins, leaving residents to choose between different levels of centralisation.

Under the proposals, all community hospital sites would continue to provide health services, but inpatient beds would be concentrated at fewer locations.

The plans also include Urgent Care Centres operating from 8am until 8pm, seven days a week, with a wider range of assessment, treatment and diagnostic services than existing Minor Injury Units.

Mental health proposals include strengthened community and crisis services and a single inpatient centre for organic and functional mental health care in the Bronllys or Brecon area.

Mr Chadwick, MP for Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe, said: “Today we handed the Health Board 7,930 signatures from people asking them to protect our community hospitals. Hours later, every single member of the Board voted to press ahead.

“Confidence has been steadily eroded by a process in which key options have been removed before the public consultation has even begun, while serious questions remain about the evidence being used to justify these plans.

“We were told this process has been driven by staff. That simply does not match what healthcare workers themselves have been telling us. Staff have approached us with serious concerns about these proposals and deserve to have their voices represented accurately.

“I no longer believe this Board commands the confidence of the people it is supposed to serve. Mabon ap Gwynfor should sack the Board and intervene.”

Ms Dodds, the Welsh Liberal Democrat leader and MS for Brycheiniog Tawe Nedd, said: “I also have no confidence in the Board to continue after today.

“People across Powys have engaged with this process in good faith, but they are being offered a consultation where some of the most important choices have already been taken off the table.

“The Health Minister cannot simply watch from the sidelines. His Government holds the purse strings for our NHS and needs to provide Powys with the funding necessary to avoid these savage cuts.

“Plaid Cymru promised a rural premium for public services before the election. Powys is precisely the kind of place that promise was supposed to help. Now is the time for them to prove it meant something.”

Powys Teaching Health Board says the proposals are intended to address rising demand, an ageing population and difficulties recruiting and retaining staff across a large rural area. It says the programme has been informed by feedback from thousands of patients, residents, staff and partner organisations over the past two years.

‘Transparent’

Health board chairman Dr Carl Cooper said: “Today’s decision marks the beginning of a conversation, not the end of one. The Board has agreed that these options should now be tested through a fair, transparent and meaningful consultation.

“No outcome has been predetermined. We want people to test the evidence, challenge our thinking and help inform what happens next.”

He said evidence, concerns and alternative proposals submitted during the consultation would be considered before the board reached any final decision.

Improve outcomes

Executive medical director Kate Wright said providing more care in community settings could improve outcomes and reduce the harm associated with prolonged hospital stays.

She added: “We want people to tell us where the proposals could improve care, where they could create difficulties and what else we should consider.”

Thirteen drop-in events will be held across Powys during the consultation alongside online events, with feedback independently collated and analysed before the board considers its next steps in spring 2027.

---

Get more trusted Welsh news

Choose Nation.Cymru as a preferred source in Google News to see more of our journalism.