Ystradgynlais hospital meeting overflows onto the street amid huge turnout

• Hundreds of residents packed into a public meeting in Ystradgynlais on Tuesday evening to oppose proposals to remove community hospital beds, filling the venue to its fire-safety capacity.
• The turnout was so large that dozens more gathered outside, listening to the meeting through open doors and windows from the street.

The meeting, organised by Welsh Liberal Democrat MP for Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe David Chadwick, Welsh Lib Dem Senedd Member for Brycheiniog Tawe Nedd Jane Dodds and Lib Dem Councillor for Cwmllynfell and Ystalyfera Susan Grounds heard from residents, patients and medical professionals about the importance of Ystradgynlais Community Hospital and the impact that reducing local bed capacity could have on patients and the wider NHS.

A number of residents shared personal experiences of receiving care at the hospital, while medical staff including local nurses spoke about the role community hospitals play in allowing patients to recover closer to home and helping larger general hospitals discharge patients who no longer require acute care. Local GPs also highlighted their concerns over the plans that could see patient beds removed from the hospital and centralized at just two locations in Powys (Brecon & Newtown).

The Welsh Liberal Democrats have argued that reducing community hospital capacity risks increasing pressure elsewhere in the health service at a time when hospitals and social care services are already struggling with demand.

The party is calling on Powys Teaching Health Board and the Welsh Government to reconsider the proposals and says the new Plaid Cymru Welsh Health Minister must ensure the health board has the resources necessary to maintain community services.

Thousands of people have already signed a petition opposing the proposed changes, with campaigners now aiming to reach 10,000 signatures by September. Volunteers will also take the petition door-to-door to reach residents who are not online.

The petition can be signed here: https://www.libdems.wales/powyshospitals

Further public meetings are due to take place in communities across Powys affected by the proposals before campaigners announce the next stage of their campaign.

Welsh Liberal Democrat MP for Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe David Chadwick said:

"The turnout in Ystradgynlais was extraordinary. We reached the fire-safety capacity of the venue and had to turn people away, something we never want to do at a public meeting.

"But if the Health Board or Welsh Government were in any doubt about the strength of feeling here, they should be in no doubt now. This community is united behind its hospital and determined to protect these beds.

"We heard powerful testimony from local people about what this hospital has meant to them and their families, alongside important contributions from medical professionals about what losing this capacity would mean.

"At a time when our health and care services are already under enormous pressure, we should be increasing community and social care capacity, not reducing it. Taking beds away risks leaving people stuck in larger hospitals for longer and makes it harder for patients to recover closer to home.

"Jane and I will continue taking this fight directly to the Health Board and Welsh Government. We want to build the petition to 10,000 signatures by September and send a clear message that Powys will not accept the erosion of our community health services."

Welsh Liberal Democrat Senedd Member for Brycheiniog Tawe Nedd Jane Dodds said:

"What I heard in Ystradgynlais was a community speaking with one voice. People are worried about what these proposals could mean, but they are also determined to stand up for the services they depend upon.

"Community hospitals are an essential part of our NHS. They provide care closer to home and help relieve pressure on our larger hospitals. Once that capacity disappears, it is incredibly difficult to get it back.

"The Welsh Government cannot simply stand back and say this is a matter for the Health Board. The Health Minister has responsibility for our NHS in Wales and must ensure Powys has the funding and capacity it needs.

"We will continue working alongside local residents to make sure their voices are heard in Cardiff Bay and by the Health Board. The message from Ystradgynlais is clear: we need more community and social care beds, not fewer."

ENDS