Caerphilly’s Senedd Member Lindsay Whittle has expressed concern about the length of time and number of patients waiting for release from hospital – known as bed blocking – while care packages are prepared.
A Freedom of Information request to the Aneurin Bevan University Health Board (ABUHB)revealed that the longest wait for a release from hospital was 69 days – more than two months.
Lindsay Whittle, Plaid Cymru MS, said: “So I wanted to find out the current position on bed blocking within the health board covering Caerphilly and how the lack of availability of care packages can affect that issue of the release of patients.
“While there may be special circumstances, I do find it disturbing that one patient has waited 69 days for release and others are stuck in hospital for days or weeks.
“When my office made the request to the health board there were 26 patients waiting for release. This is holding up release of patients which means beds are not available to those that need them.
“Unfortunately, my own sister’s release from hospital earlier this year was without a care package which I found unacceptable and should never have happened.”
The response showed that on October 4, 2025 there were the following ABUHB patients unable to be released because of a lack of a care package:
Chepstow Community Hospital 4, County Hospital 3, Monnow Vale Health and Social Care Facility 1, Nevill Hall Hospital 3, Rhymney Integrated Health & Social Care Centre 1, Royal Gwent Hospital 3, Ysbyty Aneurin Bevan 9, Ysbyty Ystrad Fawr 2,Total 26.
According to the health board at the end of October there were 1,128 staffed beds across its area.
If Plaid Cymru forms the next Welsh Government it has pledged t0 advance the programme to establish a National Care Service for Wales, fully integrated with the NHS and free at the point of need. That was started by Plaid under the previous Co-operation Agreement but has since fallen by the wayside under Labour.
On bed blocking, as part of our wider reforms to NHS Governance, Plaid would also appoint a pan-Wales Director with a strategic remit for out of hospital care arrangements, while placing Regional Partnership Boards on a statutory footing to also promote systematic collaboration between health boards and local authorities on social care arrangements.