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The last beds in a rural community hospital are to be removed due to staff shortages.

Hywel Dda University Health Board (HDUHB) wants to decommission the nine beds at Tregaron Hospital in Ceredigion.

The health board said it was struggling to provide current services due to "insufficient" staff levels.

However the move is also part of a "new model of care" proposed for the area that will see staff work in the community.

The delayed £8m Cylch Caron project will see a GP surgery, pharmacy, outpatient clinics and community nursing, as well as 34 flats for people who need extra care, on the hospital site.

Peter Skitt, county director for Ceredigion at HDUHB said: "While we develop our Cylch Caron scheme, we also need to consider our current model of care for patients at Tregaron Hospital.

"Despite efforts to recruit to positions, our current level of staffing is insufficient, and our staffing rotas are fragile.

"Staff have voiced how challenging it is to support our patients through our current model of care at Tregaron Hospital."

The health board said outpatient appointments will continue to be provided from Tregaron Hospital, which will also serve as a hub for staff until the new centre is built.

Ceredigion council is inviting companies to tender for the design and build of the new centre.

Mr Skitt added: "Our proposal is to move our staff from being hospital based and looking after the nine beds, to being community based. This will enable us to support more patients in their homes.

“Patients have consistently shared that they would prefer to be at home, or closer to home, and this tends to enable their recovery.”

The proposal to decommission the nine beds will be discussed at a health board meeting on 25 July.

A four-week period of engagement will launch on 1 August and run until 29 August.