Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCUHB) is being urged by Dwyfor Meirionnydd’s MS to reopen Tywyn Hospital’s Dyfi Ward.

Mabon ap Gwynfor wants it to be a step-down facility, easing hospital discharge delays and reducing pressure on acute hospitals like Bronglais.

Mr ap Gwynfor said reopening Dyfi Ward would provide much-needed community beds, enabling patients to receive onward care closer to home, ensuring individuals can recover in a familiar environment while freeing up capacity in larger hospitals for those requiring urgent treatment.

Over the past 25 years, North Wales has lost around 20 per cent of its hospital beds, mainly in community hospitals, which has worsened the shortage of step-down facilities.

The Welsh NHS Activity and Performance Report for October 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 necessary ongoing care and support or suitable accommodation is not accessible. The total cumulative days delayed for those patients was just over 64,100.

Mr ap Gwynfor 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 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 the board has developed, which is an example of best practice that should also be rolled out elsewhere.

“I have been lobbying the health board and 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.’’

Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board Chief Operating Officer Tehmeena Ajmal 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 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.

“We fully acknowledge the strength of feeling about reopening Dyfi Ward and it is important to note 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.”

BCUHB is considering the engagement undertaken so far and how it will take this work forward over the coming months.