 Machynlleth hospital has been at the centre of controversy for months |
A ward at a Powys hospital which was to close for three months because of staff shortages will now remain open. The elderly mentally infirm (EMI) unit at Ysbyty Bro Ddyfi in Machynlleth should have shut on Monday.
However, agency nurses could now be drafted in to assist existing staff, the local health board said.
Pensioners requiring treatment would have faced a 29-mile journey to Newtown had the unit closed.
On Friday, Montgomeryshire Community Health Council (CHC) said it feared the temporary closure would have spelt the end for the ward.
Powys Local Health Board said senior nurses at Machynlleth hospital had agreed to transfer to Newtown to help solve its staffing problems. It added that agency and so-called bank nurses would be used to fill the gaps in Machynlleth.
 |  I am pleased the local health board has arrived at this decision  |
The news has been welcomed by the CHC which held discussions with the board on Monday.
Board chief executive Andy Williams said: "We have been working closely with Montgomery Community Health Council on this difficult issue and are grateful for their support in identifying an acceptable way forward.
"We are pleased that some of our experienced staff in Machynlleth hospital are prepared to transfer to Newtown to help maintain the Fan Gorau Unit, where we have been experiencing staffing problems.
"At Machynlleth, patient admissions and discharges are generally planned and programmed well in advance.
"This will allow us, if necessary, to employ bank and agency staff thus providing a more flexible use of resources in relation to the EMI services for the people of Montgomeryshire."
Machynlleth Councillor Michael Williams, vice-chairman of Montgomeryshire CHC, said people would be relieved.
"I am pleased the local health board has arrived at this decision," he said.
"The board's decision to close the EMI unit had caused huge unrest in Machynlleth and the area of the Dyfi Valley. I'm very concerned that it was considered at all."
Machynlleth hospital's staff problems have been at the centre of local controversy for months. Wards have temporarily closed in the past due to illness and staff shortages.
In light of the latest developments at the hospital a pressure group has been formed.
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