Third edition of Knighton and East Radnorshire Community Focus now available - April 2023

The third edition of our Knighton and East Radnorshire Community Focus newsletter is now available from our website. you can download the newsletter here or read it below.

In our last newsletter we provided an update on the continued challenge to recruit inpatient nursing staff to Knighton Hospital. We also shared our aspirations to provide more care closer to home through the temporary introduction of four ‘reablement’ rooms on Panpwnton Ward.

We are making great progress with this plan, and later this month (April 2023) we expect these beds to be available for patients from East Radnorshire who no longer need District General Hospital care but still need support before returning home. The redecoration work is now completed and we are awaiting approval from the Care Inspectorate Wales.

These beds will be managed by our experienced residential care team and, if required, supported by clinical colleagues including nurses and allied health professionals.

So, to recap; over the last two years we have been working hard to recruit registered nurses to join the inpatient team at Knighton Hospital. Whilst we have had some interest, sadly this has not reached the levels needed to run a ward 24 hours a day, seven days a week. As you will have seen on the news, the recruitment of nursing staff is proving a challenge across the UK.

David Farnsworth, Powys Teaching Health Board’s Assistant Director of Community Services commented: “Over the last three years the passion of the local community for the ward has been clear. We have also heard that there are needs that we could meet in a different way. For example, the current pressures on the health and care system mean that some people are waiting for a package of care to enable them to return home in east Radnorshire. This means that they can be waiting in a district general hospital or in a community hospital elsewhere.

With this plan, more people will receive more care in their local community, reducing the need for family, friends and carers to travel to district general hospitals or other community hospitals.” “We have taken some soundings from people in the community via a short online questionnaire and we found that, whilst there were some concerns about the ward’s future, there was also support for temporarily repurposing it.

“I must stress that we are absolutely committed to the continued development of services for people in Knighton and East Radnorshire and will be continuing to work with you to ensure a bright future for Knighton Hospital. We continue to welcome your feedback including through our online feedback form on our hospital website.”

Visit our website at www.pthb.nhs.wales/knighton-hospital for the latest updates on local services.

Released: 21/04/2023