A permanent decision on “temporary” changes to hospital care in Powys which included downgrades of services at Llanidloes hospital will be taken later this year.

At a meeting Powys Teaching Health Board (PTHB) on 30 July members unanimously agreed to fold the decision on the temporary changes into the health board’s wider “Better Together” transformation programme.

Plans to centre services on four Powys hospitals due to specific need in a bid to save cash which saw services downgraded at Llanidloes War Memorial hospital were originally approved last October despite warnings from local doctors and a 2,300 signature petition against the move.

Llanidloes and Bronllys hospitals now provide care packages for patients requiring no additional treatment and are “ready to go home”, whilst Newtown and Brecon hospitals provide rehabilitation care for patients.

Changes were also introduced to the opening hours of Minor Injury Units (MIUs) in the county.

The changes, described as ‘temporary’ by PTHB, came into force at the start of December.

Board members on 30 July received a report from executive medical director Dr Kate Wright which recommended that the changes remain in place for the time being following a six-month review of their implementation.

She explained that the changes had seen a 50 per cent drop in agency staffing costs in the hospital units and there had been a 23 per cent reduction of stay in the ready to go some units compared with the same time frame in 2023/2024.

On the rehabilitation units, Dr Wright told board members that the length of stay had reduced by seven per cent.

Dr Wright also said that the findings had also been “positive” on the changes to the MIUs.

Dr Wright said: “Workforce utilisation has improved, and expenditure has reduced, there’s been no use of agency staff and a reduction of using bank staff.”

PTHB chairman Dr Carl Cooper said: “The recommendation is essentially we extend the temporary service change because it would not make sense to enter into consultation about them becoming permanent at this stage.

“This is because we have a wider programme of transformation underway and therefore this needs to be part of our Better Together approach.

“I just want assurance that this isn’t kicking the can down the road and that we will be rolling this into Better Together.

“Decisions will be made soon as part of that programme.”

PTHB chief executive, Hayley Thomas said: “That is definitely the case, and it will be part of the Better Together programme going into the autumn.

“That’s part of the reason in trying to assure that we give the public the opportunity to shape those options in the medium to long term.”

The changes were originally agreed last summer as part of the health board’s attempts to claw back a £23 million budget deficit last year.

Due to the public backlash against the proposal, the health board conducted a six-week engagement process in August and September.

The board met in October and approved the move for a second time.