Doctors will discuss the provision of services in Wales

The British Medical Association (BMA) begins its annual conference in Llandudno, north Wales, on Monday.

A new report from the BMA also claims that not enough is being done to tackle discrimination within the NHS.

Around 600 doctors from the UK are attending the four-day event at the North Wales Conference Centre.

Doctors from Wales will call for the careful monitoring of the impact of foundation hospitals in England on services in Wales.

Community hospitals can form part of the future of the health service in Wales Richard Lewis, BMA

The first 10 foundation trusts came on stream in England on 1 April, with the UK Government keen to see more become trusts.

These hospitals have more freedom from government control.

Many doctors in Wales have said they hope negotiations with the Welsh Assembly Government over pay and out of hours conditions will help safeguard the immediate future of the 60 community hospitals in Wales.

The community hospitals are smaller centres, providing a range of routine services alongside major hospitals.

Lynda Borstal wants Rhymney's Redwood Hospital kept open

Lynda Borstal, a patient at Rhymney's closure-threatened Redwood Hospital, has signed a petition to keep it open.

She is among 2,000 people who want to see the 100-year old hospital, paid for by miners, retained.

Mrs Borstal suffers from high cholesterol and diabetes.

"It's local, if you have minor injuries or minor ailments we can go to the local hospital rather than go to Prince Charles (in Merthyr) where you have got to wait hours to see a doctor.

"I've had moles removed there , I had a cyst removed which I was going back and for for seven weeks having it packed because it wouldn't heal up properly, it would have meant I would have had to have caught a bus to get over there."

A public meeting between local health planners and the community will take place at Rhymney community centre at 1830 BST on Monday.

One idea being explored is to open a new state-of-the-art hospital in Ystrad Mynach.

Andrew Dearden, of the BMA, told BBC Radio Wales that community hospitals provided a valuable service.

'Knock-on effect'

"When there are staff shortages and when you don't have enough GPs in Wales, then you have to look at the best place for services to be provided," he said.

"Where there are only five or six beds (in a hospital) there may be a question.

"But where there are 20 beds, they provide a huge service for the NHS in Wales and the knock-on effect of losing some of these would be enormous."

The BMA's Welsh Secretary, Richard Lewis, said patients often wanted services closer to their homes, rather than having to travel to a large hospital.

He added: "A lot of community hospitals across Wales are providing an excellent service - provided in the main by general practitioners.

"Those services are valued by patients, particularly in rural parts of Wales where travel to larger hospitals can be prohibitive.

Routine care

"Community hospitals can form part of the future of the health service in Wales.

"Patients know that if services are very specialised then they have to travel, but when it's routine, health care issues, they want them as close to their homes as possible."

During the conference, doctors will also look at how the cleanliness of Welsh hospitals can be improved to fight the so-called superbug, MRSA.

Doctors are also calling for a zero tolerance strategy against discrimination within the health service, which a BMA report claims has blocked many doctors' careers.

A report based on the experience of 25 doctors claims discrimination on the grounds of gender, sexuality, disability and ethnic origin is prevalent in the NHS, with not enough done to tackle it.