Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board should pull out all the stops to ensure that nursing bed provision is maintained on the Llŷn Peninsula following the closure of the Penrhos Polish Home, according to local politicians.
The Polish Homes Association which owns the Penrhos site near Pwllheli, announced a phased closure of the site by March 2021.
Plaid Cymru candidate for Dwyfor Meirionnydd at the 2021 Senedd elections and prominent health campaigner Mabon ap Gwynfor said: "It is sad that the Polish Homes Association have found that they can no longer maintain the site. They have been an integral part of the community for many decades and served the community well.
"However, Penrhos is more than a Polish Home, it is also the nursing home for the Llŷn peninsula and ensures that elderly residents who require nursing care can live on the Llŷn close to their loved ones.
"The area needs nursing beds and it is incumbent on the local Health Board to pull out all the stops to ensure that nursing bed provision continues in this rural corner of north west Wales."
Dwyfor Meirionnydd MP Liz Saville Roberts said: "There is clear demand for nursing beds in Pen Llŷn. There is no other such provision here. It would be unacceptable to expect relatives and elderly loved ones to face traveling long distances on our rural road network to visit people in distant nursing homes.
"This is why we are calling on the local Health Board and the Welsh Government to urgently work with other stakeholders and ensure that nursing bed provision will be maintained here."
Councillor Angela Russell who represents the area on Gwynedd County Council said: "A lot of families here are extremely grateful to the Polish Homes Association for the care that they have given their loved ones over the decades and it will be a terribly sad day when the organisation leaves."
"However, we must ensure that nursing beds are retained here. The Health Board and the Welsh Government have the ability to ensure that nursing care is made available. They cannot turn their backs on Pen Llŷn.'
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