Pressure mounts on health board over ward closure

Emily Price 

Health board bosses are being urged to re-open an inpatient ward for use as a step down facility to help ease discharge delays and reduce pressure on acute hospitals in north Wales.

Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCUHB) closed the Dyfi Ward at Ysbyty Tywyn in the south of Gwynedd temporarily two years ago following staff shortages.

The health board – which is currently under special measures due to concerns about its performance – says the decision was made to “protect the safety” of inpatients until sustainable levels of nurse staffing could be achieved.

Calls were made for local communities to share the ward’s vacant job posts as widely as possible in a bid to fill vacancies quickly.

However, the health board has continued to face challenges in recruiting and as a result of this, the ward has remained closed.

A formal public consultation with local residents regarding the future of Dyfi Ward was carried out during the summer.

BCUHB also held two facilitated sessions with key stakeholders to develop and assess potential long-term service models.

Despite this, a final decision on the ward’s future is still yet to be made.

Plaid Cymru Senedd Member for Dwyfor Meirionnydd and Heath spokesperson for the party Mabon ap Gwynfor has urged BCUHB to reopen the Dyfi Ward as a step-down facility.

He says this would provide more community beds, enabling patients to receive onward care closer to home and allow individuals to recover in a familiar environment while freeing up capacity in larger hospitals for those requiring urgent treatment.

Delays

Over the past 25 years, north Wales has lost around 20% of its hospital beds, mainly in community hospitals, which Plaid Cymru says has worsened the shortage of step-down facilities.

The Welsh NHS Activity and Performance Report for October 2025 reveals there were just under 1,500 pathways of care delays last month.

These delays occur when patients who are clinically ready for discharge cannot leave hospital because the necessary ongoing care and support or suitable accommodation is not yet accessible.

The total cumulative days delayed for those patients was just over 64,100.

Mr ap Gwynfor MS said: “Ysbyty Tywyn is a lifeline for communities in Meirionnydd and beyond. Dyfi Ward was designed to provide care close to home, yet it has been left idle while patients are stuck in acute hospitals miles away.’

“This is unacceptable. Reopening Dyfi Ward would restore a vital service and ensure that people can recover with dignity in their own community.

“Community-based care is essential for a sustainable health system, and Dyfi Ward’s reopening would be a significant step toward addressing current challenges in patient flow and hospital capacity.

“Reopening Dyfi Ward as a step-down unit would make a real difference, improving patient experience and alleviating pressure on our overstretched general hospitals.

“This should be done in conjunction with the excellent Tuag Adre service that the Board has developed, which is an example of best practice that should also be rolled out elsewhere.

“I have been lobbying both the Health Board and the Welsh Government for years to reopen Dyfi Ward. They know the facts, they know the impact, and they know the solution.

It’s time for them to stop dragging their feet and deliver for the people of Meirionnydd. Communities deserve certainty, and patients deserve care closer to home.”

Future

Tehmeena Ajmal, Chief Operating Officer at Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, said: “We have been talking to the Tywyn community about the future of inpatient services for some time and since July, we’ve carried out a range of activities to better understand how services could be delivered in the future.

“We have listened to the community through surveys and face-to-face conversations as well as holding two bespoke stakeholder sessions with representatives of the local community, staff, patient groups, councillors and local clinicians. The outcomes of which will all be available here.

“We fully acknowledge the strength of feeling locally about reopening Dyfi Ward and it is important to note that no final decision has been made and we welcome all views on the thinking so far, including suggestions for how challenges with reopening the ward may be overcome.

“On Thursday this week, our Board will consider the engagement undertaken so far and how we will take this important work forward over the coming months.

“In the meantime, we’re keen to continue our conversations with the local community and will be collecting further feedback on all potential options before any next steps are agreed.”