Shaping the Future of Penley Hospital
The inpatient beds at Penley Hospital were temporarily closed in December 2024 due to concerns around the sustainability of the care model and ongoing staffing challenges. Historically, Penley has provided care for patients who are well enough to leave a main hospital but not yet ready to go home.
The number of patients suitable for this type of care has been limited, and ongoing difficulties with recruitment and reliance on temporary staff have made it increasingly difficult to deliver safe and sustainable care.
We are now entering the next phase of engagement with the local community. We want to work closely with residents, staff, and partners to shape the future of services at Penley — including reviewing the challenges, listening to what matters most, and exploring different scenarios for delivering care that is safe, high-quality and sustainable.
After gathering community input, the Health Board will develop options and aim to make a decision in a public board meeting in December 2025.
What We’ve Heard So Far
Already, hundreds of people have shared their views with us through the initial survey. This feedback is being used to help shape the next phase of work — ensuring that what we’ve heard directly from the community informs how we move forward.
How You Can Get Involved
We’re now starting to meet with community groups and organisations who’ve invited us to come and hear their views, and we’ll be continuing this outreach over the coming weeks.
We’re also especially keen to hear from anyone with direct experience of services at Penley Hospital — particularly those who have been an inpatient or supported someone. Your stories and experiences are invaluable in helping us understand what’s worked well, what needs to improve, and what people want for the future.
This is just the start. There will be more opportunities to have your say as the work develops. We want this to be an ongoing conversation.
Have Your Say
To support this phase, we’re continuing to invite local people, staff, and interested groups to take part in a short survey. Your feedback will help shape the early thinking and inform the development of options before any decisions are made.
All survey responses, meeting notes, and personal stories will be carefully reviewed and will directly inform the proposals that the Health Board develops.
Take the survey: Penley Survey
Share your story: If you have been an inpatient or supported someone at Penley Hospital, we’d love to hear from you. Please get in touch at BCU.GetInvolved@wales.nhs.uk so we can capture your lived experience.
Stay in touch: If you'd like to hear more and be kept informed directly as this work progresses, please let us know. We'd be happy to keep you updated and share further opportunities to get involved. Subscribe to the Health Board’s e-newsletter here.
We will publish a summary of what the community tells us and explain how it’s shaping our plans. Your input will be central to the options presented to the Board. We’ll keep you updated throughout – including sharing the final decision and the reasons behind it. This way, you’ll see clearly how your voice has influenced the outcome.
Thank you for helping us shape the future of care in Penley.