Beds Available, Patients Waiting: North Wales Dementia Care Gap Sparks Urgent Call for Action

Dementia patients in North Wales are facing longer hospital stays — or being moved miles away from home — despite local care beds sitting empty.

Now, the provider behind those beds is urging immediate action.

Meddyg Care Group, which runs specialist dementia nursing homes in Criccieth and Porthmadog, says families are actively requesting places at its newly opened Rhyl facility.

Despite clear demand and available capacity, placements are not being progressed. The result: extended hospital stays and, in some cases, patients being relocated far from their communities.

The company has formally written to the Older People’s Commissioner for Wales and Welsh Government ministers, raising concerns about how funded nursing care (FNC) and continuing healthcare (CHC) placements are commissioned by Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCUHB).

Kevin Edwards, Managing Director of Meddyg Care Group, said: “We have invested significantly in specialist dementia nursing provision in North Wales precisely because we know the demand is there. What we are now seeing is a disconnect between that demand, the capacity we have in place, and the commissioning decisions being made on the ground.

“Welsh Government policy is clear on the importance of choice and care closer to home. We would welcome a conversation about how commissioning practice can better reflect those principles – because at the moment, some individuals and families are not experiencing the system that policy intends.”

Meddyg Care employs more than 330 staff and provides around 170 nursing and dementia beds across its three homes, along with over 6,000 hours of domiciliary care each month.

Its new 35-bed specialist dementia unit in Rhyl was developed specifically to meet rising demand for high-quality, local care.

The concerns come amid ongoing pressure on hospital capacity across North Wales, where delayed discharges continue to impact patient flow.

Meddyg Care believes that better use of available local placements could help ease that strain.

Mr Edwards urged decision-makers to “come together on the issue” and added: “When discharge pathways work well – when people move into the right setting at the right time, close to their families – it delivers better outcomes for patients and reduces pressure on the wider health system. We are keen to work with BCUHB and Welsh Government to make that happen more consistently.”

The provider is calling for greater flexibility in commissioning and stronger partnership working to ensure local capacity is fully utilised and placement decisions reflect both clinical needs and family wishes.

“We are not raising these concerns to be difficult, we just hope common sense will prevail,” said Mr Edwards.

“We are raising them because we believe there is a genuine opportunity to improve outcomes for some of the most vulnerable people in our communities — and because we think the system, with the right focus, can do better.”

Meddyg Care has requested a formal response from both BCUHB and Welsh Government and says it remains committed to working constructively to improve care pathways across the region.

For more information, visit www.meddygcare.co.uk, follow Meddyg Care on social media, call 01766 800900 or email enquiries@meddygcare.co.uk.