Hundreds of people packed Y Plas in Machynlleth on Thursday evening to oppose plans which could see inpatient beds removed from Bro Ddyfi Community Hospital.

Around 200 seats were put out for the public meeting, with many attendees still left standing at the back as residents, GPs and politicians warned of the impact of Powys Teaching Health Board’s proposals.

The health board is consulting on plans to reduce community inpatient provision across Powys and concentrate beds at fewer sites.

Dr Jonathan Shaw, a GP partner at Dyfi Valley Health who also works on the ward at Bro Ddyfi, said he believed the board was “determined” to close inpatient beds across the county.

He said the proposals relied heavily on more patients receiving rehabilitation and step-down care at home rather than in community hospitals, but warned he had seen no evidence that the replacement model would be deliverable. Dr Shaw said many patients arriving on the ward were initially bedbound and required round-the-clock support, rehabilitation, nutrition and hydration before eventually being able to return home. He also warned of the impact on end-of-life care, saying some patients were unable to die at home and relied on community hospital beds where families could be with them.

Dr Shaw told the meeting he was “saddened” and “angry” about the plans, adding that every GP in Powys opposed the proposals, except one that is under management of the board.

Montgomeryshire and Glyndŵr MP Steve Witherden also launched a fierce attack on the plans, warning they risked turning Powys into a “healthcare desert”.

He said reducing services within Powys would push more patients into hospitals including Bronglais, Shrewsbury, Telford and Hereford. “It is effectively outsourcing your healthcare,” he said.

His comments came after a further £3.4 million was allocated to Powys Teaching Health Board to purchase treatment from hospitals across the English border, including Gobowen and Hereford.

Mr Witherden said the Welsh Government was “trying to fill a leaky bucket, when they should be fixing the hole in it”, arguing that reducing local provision would ultimately increase dependence on other health boards and English NHS trusts. He also claimed neighbouring healthcare organisations had not been formally informed of the proposals despite the potential knock-on effects.

Mayor of Machynlleth Cllr Jeremy Paige said public mistrust over consultation had become a major concern and called for residents to make their voices heard.

Keith Jackson, who helped campaign against earlier proposals affecting services at Bronglais Hospital, told the crowd that previous campaigns had succeeded. “I think we can win and must win,” he said, urging residents to tell the board what kind of health service they wanted rather than simply what they opposed.

Cllr Glyn Preston, from Llanidloes, also called for coordinated opposition across Powys and suggested communities could travel together to the Senedd to demand Welsh Government intervention.

Calls for ministers to step in received loud applause from the packed hall, with speakers repeatedly urging residents to respond to the consultation, attend drop-in sessions and support the official Senedd petition.