Will the Cabinet Secretary explain how the Welsh Government is helping to reverse the decline in the number of hospital beds in the Hywel Dda University Health Board area?
Answered by Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care | Answered on 09/10/2024
The planning and delivery of services, including the number of beds, is a decision for the health board to make based on the needs of the local population.
Through advances in health care provision, the need for overnight hospital beds may reduce, with more surgery being carried out as day surgery. Improvements in the way urgent and emergency care is delivered where patients are able to be seen and treated at home through the use of virtual wards will prevent hospital admissions.