Plaid questions 'temporary' closure of Penley Hospital

Questions have been raised as to why Penley community hospital closed suddenly just before Christmas, forcing a 103-year-old patient to be relocated.

The closure of the eight-bed unit near Wrexham came as a surprise to both patients and staff, who were deployed elsewhere within the health board.

Now Plaid Cymru politicians are questioning why the 'temporary' closure took place on Christmas eve and whether it was a cost-cutting measure.

Councillor Carrie Harper said: 

"Information we've received suggests that the health board's Eastern division Integrated Health Community (IHC) management were not being transparent when they talked about low occupancy causing the closure. We also understand that this might also be a long-term closure driven by financial issues rather than clinical need. Staff and patients have not been consulted on the move and we question whether Betsi Cadwaladr's board was informed prior to the closure.

"The closure of community facilities such as this, which offers step-up and step-down care to patients who don't need to go into a district general hospital such as Wrexham Maelor, will strike many people as odd when we have queues of ambulances outside A&E and many people ready to leave the Maelor for a community setting. 

"What's going on Betsi? What's the reason behind the 'temporary' closure and when is it re-opening? The ongoing deficit in the health board's finances is a problem but it shouldn't be driving these kinds of decisions."

Cllr Harper added that closing community hospital facilities has been a theme in north Wales over the years: 

"Twelve years ago, Llangollen, Flint, Prestatyn and Blaenau Ffestiniog community hospitals were closed by the health board with the loss of dozens of community beds. It's resulted in greater pressure on our district general hospitals and has made moving patients on from the Maelor hospital far more difficult. It's part of a picture where we see patients forced to stay too long because social care and community care just hasn't been addressed by the Labour Government. A seamless health and social care service, coupled with recognising the need to recruit, retain and train many more staff to care for our growing elderly population, is the way forward and that's what Plaid Cymru is offering as a clear, credible alternative to the stale failed politics of Labour."