Staff caught up in uncertainty over future of community hospitals

Dale Spridgeon, local democracy reporter

Hospital staff are being left “twisting in the wind” amid the uncertain future of two community hospitals which have seen “temporary” closures of inpatient beds.

The loss of services at Tywyn and Penley Community Hospitals had both sparked local concerns.

The Dyfi Ward at Tywyn, in Gwynedd, saw the “temporary” measures imposed more than two years ago due to a shortage of trained nursing staff.

The closure of inpatient beds in April 2023 followed repeated attempts to recruit and a “heavy reliance” on agency staff.

Outcry

At Penley in Wrexham, the interim closures caused an outcry after coming just before Christmas, in December 2024.

A Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board [BCUHB] report said the closures were due to concerns over the “sustainability” of the care model, a very limited number of patients suitable for the type of care in the setting, and reliance on temporary staff.

The report recognised that staff “have and continue to face uncertainty” amid the ongoing service review.

The report aimed to set out proposals for developing longer term solutions relating to Tywyn and Penley Hospitals.

The health board said further discussions and consultation would be carried out over this year, with final recommendations coming in December.

Gareth Williams, the health board’s vice chairman, told a meeting last week that staff on temporary contracts were being treated “unfairly” because of the situation, and said it went against the board’s principle of “fair work”.

Kamala Williams, BCUHB’s head of health strategy and planning, told the meeting that the re-opening the beds at Tywyn and Penley had not been ruled out.

‘Duty bound’

But the health board was “duty bound” to consider other ways of delivering safe, sustainable and high-quality services that met the needs of the respective local communities, she said.

An ongoing process to “identify sustainable solutions” was underway, with engagements, regular briefings and follow up sessions with Llais, an independent body representing patients, and community representatives.

Since the Tywyn closure, inpatient bed capacity at Dolgellau Hospital had risen from 14 to 18 beds, staff had been redeployed to Tuag Adref (Homeward Bound) community service and a new Treatment Room established.

A now five-day-a-week Minor Injuries Unit had reopened and a Wellbeing Hub supported health promotion and community engagement.

Recruitment at Tywyn had also been “successful” but the report noted: “Workforce skill mix, retention and resilience still remained with significant issues preventing the reopening of the ward safely, sustainably and without likely detriment to the other clinical and community services provided at the hospital”.

A public engagement and meeting had been attended by over 100 residents and senior health board leaders.

Updates had also been given to MSs and MPs, a recruitment campaign held and a health board-led workshop carried out.

A public forum by Llais had highlighted “strong support” for accessible, locally delivered care and locals had expressed concern over the loss of inpatient services.

At Penley, staff meetings were being convened regularly to “ensure staff were informed of developments,” a stakeholder mapping workshop session was held in May, and a Llais ‘drop in’ session was planned for June.

The health board’s vice chairman said he felt they should “not just say they were in favour of ‘fair work’ but demonstrate it”.

He said: “Time after time, when I go round this organisation, I find staff being treated unfairly, in terms of those on short term contracts, where it is said, ‘oh, we will extend it for three months, we might make a decision then’.

“That’s really letting people down, people with mortgages and other responsibilities, it’s like leaving them to twist in the wind, while we decide what we are doing.

“It is not acceptable if we say we are committed to fair work. But we are starting to make progress.”

Health board chair Dyfed Edwards added: “Principles are only worth something if we live them.”

Speaking after the meeting, Geoff Ryall-Harvey, regional director of the north Wales region for Llais, said: “Both Tywyn and Penley are important local services, local people are very concerned about the loss of these beds and it is vital that BCUHB listen to local concerns.”