Welsh Liberal Democrat MP for Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe, David Chadwick has raised the ongoing crisis in Powys Health Care to the Government, pressing the Prime Minister Keir Starmer on the issue and why Labour have not acted, either in Wales or at the UK level to fix the crisis in social care.

Powys Teaching Health Board is currently developing proposals for the future of community hospital services, with options understood to include the removal of inpatient beds from eight community hospitals (Ystradgynlais, Builth Wells, Knighton, Bronllys, Welshpool, Llanidloes, Machynlleth and Llandrindod Wells) across the county.

A petition started by the Liberal Democrats against the cuts has now gathered over 2,500 signatures, with the party aiming to collect at least 5,000 by the end of the summer.

The Liberal Democrats have argued that cutting beds is the exact opposite of what should be happening, highlighting that they already receive large amounts of casework where patients are unable to be discharged from hospitals in Herefordshire and Shropshire into communities in Powys due to a lack of beds.

The party has highlighted that both the Labour Government in the UK and the former Welsh Labour Government have had ample time to address both the crisis in social care and rural healthcare, but have failed to do so.

In Parliament Mr Chadwick asked the Prime Minister: “Does the Prime Minister agree that taking beds out of community hospitals is not a solution for the crisis in social care and why did he not prioritise fixing social care when he had the opportunity?”

In response the Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: “I would remind him that when his party was in the coalition government they didn’t do anything with social care, they simply cut all our public services and we had to pick up the results of that. I don’t know the details of the particular case, but I will make sure he gets a better answer than that in writing.”

The Welsh Lib Dems have also been raising the issue in Cardiff Bay, with Welsh Lib Dem Senedd Member Jane Dodds calling on the new Plaid Cymru ministers to directly intervene to prevent the bed cuts.

Commenting after the exchange with the Prime Minister, David Chadwick MP said: “Local residents are fed up of watching their local health services cut further and further back.

“People in rural areas pay their taxes and deserve decent quality health care as much as those in any other part of the country.

“Cutting beds in Powys will only worsen the local crisis in social care and will lead to patients receiving that care far away from home and their loved ones. It just isn’t right, and if Powys has to outsource these beds to English health boards, it will also cost us more money in the long term.

“Myself and the Welsh Liberal Democrats will continue to fight these unjustifiable cuts and fight for a better healthcare deal for residents across Powys.”