Thousands sign petition opposing plans to cut hospital beds

Mark Mansfield

Nearly 8,000 people have signed a petition opposing proposals which could see inpatient beds removed from a number of community hospitals.

The Welsh Liberal Democrats handed the petition, containing 7,930 signatures, to Powys Teaching Health Board ahead of a crucial meeting on Wednesday to decide whether its Better Together proposals should proceed to formal public consultation.

The health board is considering major changes to adult physical and mental health services, urgent care and some diagnostic services across Powys. It stresses that no final decisions have been made and that any decisions on the future configuration of services would follow consultation.

Proposals being considered could see physical health inpatient provision reduced from 146 beds to as few as 60, concentrated at Brecon and Newtown.

Under both options, inpatient beds would be removed from Ystradgynlais, Welshpool, Llanidloes, Machynlleth, Knighton and Bronllys, while one option would also see beds removed from Llandrindod Wells.

Urgent care could also be concentrated at fewer sites, while adult and older adult inpatient mental health services could be brought together at a single site in the Brecon and Bronllys area.

Welsh Liberal Democrat leader Jane Dodds and Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe MP David Chadwick handed the petition to the health board at its Bronllys headquarters alongside councillors and campaigners.

The party said the number of signatures was continuing to grow as paper petitions were returned from communities across the county.

It plans to continue collecting signatures and present the petition to Health Minister Mabon ap Gwynfor.

Mr Chadwick said: “Nearly 8,000 people have already signed this petition and more signatures are still coming in. Combined with the extraordinary turnouts at our public meetings, the strength of opposition across Powys could hardly be clearer.

“But this isn’t just about the Health Board. The Plaid Cymru Welsh Government holds the purse strings for our NHS, and now is the time for the Health Minister to intervene.

“You cannot expect a rural health board to make enormous savings and then stand back when it proposes savage cuts to the services people rely on.”

The Liberal Democrats have also called on the Welsh Government to deliver a promised “rural premium” intended to recognise the additional costs involved in providing public services in rural areas.

Ms Dodds said the signatures represented “thousands of people who are deeply worried about the future of healthcare in their communities”.

She added: “We’ve listened to residents in packed halls across Powys, and the message has been the same everywhere: people will not accept seeing their community hospitals hollowed out.”

The campaign follows a series of Liberal Democrat-organised public meetings, including one attended by around 500 people in Llanidloes, as well as meetings in Ystradgynlais, Builth Wells and Llandrindod Wells.

Discussions

Powys Teaching Health Board welcomed the petition and said it would form part of the discussion about the future of services.

Helen Bushell, the health board’s director of corporate governance, said: “We know that local health services matter deeply to the people of Powys, and we welcome the passion and commitment that communities continue to show.

“The submission of the Save Our Hospital Beds petition is an important opportunity for local people to make their views known.”

The health board says Better Together has been developed in response to rising demand, workforce pressures and concerns about the long-term sustainability of services.

If the board approves consultation, it is expected to run from October 5 until January 10, with any final recommendations due to be considered in spring 2027.

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