There will be an extra 210 hospital beds for Powys patients to cope with a worst-case scenario over the winter months.

Powys Teaching Health Board has identified additional capacity at hospitals across the county and has an agreement with neighbouring health boards and trusts for access to extra beds for residents.

The Welsh Government today outlined plans for more than 5,000 additional beds across Wales during the next few months.

Health Minister Vaughan Gething said: "As we approach this winter, and with the recent rise in Covid-19 cases, it is highly likely health and social care services will require additional capacity to manage increasing demand for services. We must ensure we retain access to sufficient additional bed capacity to manage any increase in admissions of patients with Covid-19.

"Crucially, this additional capacity is intended to enable health boards to continue to undertake planned surgical procedures and manage urgent and emergency care demand during the historically challenging winter period; in addition to the management of any potential increases in numbers of patients admitted to a hospital bed caused by Covid-19."

Hywel Dda University Health Board will keep a range of smaller field hospitals across the region including Plascrug Leisure Centre in Aberystwyth. Alongside additional bed capacity in existing NHS hospitals, the Health Board will retain additional capacity of 613 beds.

Aneurin Bevan University Health Board will open the Grange University Hospital in Cwmbran four months early in November and, alongside additional bed capacity across existing NHS sites, will provide around 942 extra beds.

In the spring, 19 field hospitals were set up around Wales, including Breconshire War Memorial Hospital in Llandrindod Wells Memorial Hospital and Welshpool's Victoria Memorial Hospital Welshpool, to provide thousands of additional beds for an increase in hospital admissions for patients suffering from coronavirus.

The number of beds at community hospitals, and health and care centres in Bronllys, Builth Wells, Knighton, Llanidloes, Machynlleth, Newtown and Ystradgynlais also increased to cope with a potential surge in the county.