Powys Teaching Health Board has rejected claims that high occupancy rates in community hospitals mean more beds are needed.

In a statement released this week, the health board said bed occupancy figures provided only a “snapshot” of activity and did not, on their own, show whether patients were receiving care in the most appropriate setting.

The statement comes amid calls from the Welsh Liberal Democrats for more community hospital beds in Powys, after figures obtained by the party showed beds across the county were running at an average of 91 per cent capacity last year.

But the health board said evidence showed too many people were spending too long in community hospital beds because the support needed to help them return home was not always available.

“In many of our hospitals half of the patients are waiting for support to enable them to return home,” the health board said.

It added that some patients in community hospital beds would not need hospital admission in the first place if specialist community healthcare services were available in their homes.

The health board said prolonged hospital stays could contribute to “functional decline, loss of independence and incontinence” and increase the likelihood of readmission.

It said home was the best place for many people, particularly older adults, to recover and maintain their independence.

The health board did acknowledge that patients do wait in hospitals outside Powys for community hospital beds.

It said that last Wednesday, four patients in district general hospitals were ready and waiting for a Powys community hospital bed.

However, it said the majority of delays were experienced by people waiting for a package of health and care that would allow them to return home.

“Those delays could significantly reduce if we provided more health care in the home,” it said.

The health board also referred to its Better Together programme, which includes proposals for greater emphasis on prevention and community services, with more people receiving care at home.