Powys Health Board’s claims that there is no demand for palliative care beds at Llanidloes Memorial Hospital have been disputed by local groups, who have asked local people to raise any problems they have faced.

Seven beds were closed, but the health board said that was on a temporary basis for health and safety reasons while construction work was taking place on the hospital’s palliative care suite. However, those beds have not been reopened since.

While the health board has claimed that the beds have not reopened because there is no demand for them, that has been disputed by Llanidloes Town Council, the Patients’ Forum and the League of Friends.

The groups have now asked for details of people’s experiences at the hospital to formulate a response to the health board.

Beryl Crone, of the Patients Forum, said that they had heard that patients had been told they couldn’t be admitted to the hospital because of a lack of beds, but that when that was mentioned to the health board it was denied.

That has prompted the groups to ask for patient experiences so they can compile figures of people who were unable to get a bed in the hospital.

She said: “Every time we say we have heard there are patients who aren’t able to be admitted, they say there’s no demand for the beds.

“We’re trying to get details, not personal details, but dates of when people were unable to be admitted to the hospital so we can get some figures."

Anyone with experience about admission to the hospital, either good or bad, is asked to contact Beryl on 01686 430297 or Aneurin Jones of the League of Friends on 01686 413699.

See this week’s Machynlleth & Llanidloes paper for the full story, available in shops and as a digital edition now