Mid Wales patients face mounting delays at hospitals across the border, with Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe MP David Chadwick warning that the NHS “winter crisis” has now become a year-round problem.

Figures show 12,477 attendances at Hereford Hospital’s A&E in June and July, up from 9,212 a decade ago. The number of patients waiting more than four hours has risen sharply since 2015, while 416 people this summer waited 12 hours or more after a decision to admit had been made.

Mr Chadwick said: “Local health services have entered a state of permacrisis. The typical winter pressures that we see are now being felt all year round and patients and their loved ones are paying the price.

“We need an emergency package of measures to protect patients and their families from agony this winter. These need to include increasing vaccine uptake for seasonal illnesses, increasing access to pharmacies and by expanding the number of out-of-hours GPs.”

The Liberal Democrat MP blamed what he called “the Conservative party’s shameful neglect of local health services in England” alongside “Labour’s mismanagement of the NHS in Wales” for the situation.

Wye Valley NHS Trust, which runs Hereford County Hospital, said it continued to face “extreme challenges with record numbers of patients attending the Emergency Department.”

A spokesperson said: “Further measures that the Trust has put in place to help reduce Emergency Department waiting times include Senior Nurse Navigation at our front door; increasing navigation to Primary Care; and more acute and surgical patients benefiting from our five speciality Same Day Emergency Care units, which the Trust is expanding further over the winter.”

They added that the Trust was working with Powys Teaching Health Board to “increase community pathways ahead of winter” to help reduce demand at Hereford A&E and speed up discharges. A new £18 million Community Diagnostic Centre in Hereford is also due to open this month.

Powys Teaching Health Board said it was taking steps to support residents through the winter, including a new “Single Point of Access” service to help patients and professionals quickly find the most appropriate support, including advice, community teams, and rapid response services. The initial focus will be on falls prevention.

A spokesperson said: "We are working closely with hospitals in England and Wales to ensure Powys patients are supported throughout their care journey, including timely discharge and follow-up at home.

This includes Powys clinicians and social workers working as part of integrated discharge teams in neighbouring District General Hospitals, to support Powys residents to return quickly and safely when they no longer need the specialist care provided in a DGH."

"We are promoting flu and COVID-19 vaccinations, especially for those most at risk, and making it easier for people to access pharmacy services for minor illnesses," they added.

They stressed that due to the county’s rural nature it is not feasible to provide a District General Hospital with a full A&E in Powys.

The Welsh Government was also asked how NHS Wales is responding to pressures on Mid Wales residents, whether measures are planned to reduce waiting times ahead of winter, and for a response to the MP’s concerns about “permacrisis” conditions.

A spokesperson said: “This is one for Wye Valley NHS Trust and Powys Teaching Health Board to respond to.”