THE third in a series of community meetings to discuss the future of healthcare in Mid Wales will be held in Blaenau Ffestiniog on Tuesday.

Following successful meetings in Machynlleth and Aberystwyth, the next Mid Wales Healthcare Collaborative engagement event will be held at the WI building on Tuesday, 9 February, with sessions at 2pm and 6pm to optimise opportunities for local residents to attend.

The events have been organised by the Mid Wales Healthcare Collaborative, in conjunction with the Bro Dyfi Dros Bronglais campaign group, to give local people an opportunity to hear more about the work of the Collaborative and influence the future of local health services.

The Mid Wales Healthcare Collaborative was set up following a report into health care in the region by Professor Marcus Longley in 2014, and aims to continue the work of the Mid Wales Healthcare Study by actively involving residents in the work of the Collaborative.

Among the topics up for discussion are mental health and primary care and community services, while representatives of the Collaborative Team, local community health councils and local NHS leaders will be on hand to hear more about what local people think about the progress made by the Collaborative to date.

There will also be an opportunity for people to share individual experiences about health services in the area.

Independent Co-chair of the Mid Wales Healthcare Collaborative, Jack Evershed, said: “These community meetings will give people the chance to meet the Collaborative Team and be actively involved in how our local healthcare services are shaped.

“There is no better test of the success of the Collaborative than to ask the public if we are heading in the right direction.”

All issues and ideas identified during the event will feed into the work of the Collaborative and further community meetings will be held throughout 2016 to ensure local people are able to monitor the progress of the Collaborative and stay involved in the development of their local services.