Llandrindod Wells Hospital to get £1.7m birthing unit

A £1.7m birthing centre will be built at a Powys hospital as part of major refurbishments.

The new midwife-led unit - the first phase of £5.3m of works at Llandrindod Wells Memorial Hospital - is expected to be finished by April.

Improvements include a new birthing pool.

Health Minister Mark Drakeford, who will visit the site on Monday, said it would provide "modern facilities" and a "first-rate patient environment".

During the development, it will be "business as usual" for patients, with the hospital "fully operational", the Welsh government said.

Chair of Powys Teaching Health Board, Prof Vivienne Harpwood, said: "This development is very welcome. It is so important that mothers and babies throughout Powys have access to the best possible care in a modern midwife-led unit."

Work on further improvements to the hospital building, including to the roof, will begin in May.