St David's Hospice has confirmed it will temporarily close its in-patient unit at Holyhead in October.

The charity opened its four-bed 'satellite' hospice - the first of its kind on Anglesey - at Ysbyty Penrhos Stanley on St David's Day 2021 following a fundraising campaign.

But the hospice's chief executive says increased running costs and reduced income had made it unviable to continue running all three of its sites across North West Wales.

The Llandudno and Bangor hospices will remain open - although a review into the decision to close the Holyhead unit will be carried out in twelve months.

A number of clinical and non-clincial roles have also been put at risk and a staff consultation is underway.

In a statement on Monday, St David's Hospice CEO Gareth Jones said: "This difficult strategic decision has been made due to a number of factors, during a challenging time for the charity and care sectors in the UK."

"The combination of rising running costs and reduced income have made it economically unviable to continue operating all three hospice sites — despite our best efforts to mitigate these factors."

He added the temporary closure at Holyhead would allow the hospice "to focus on strengthening our operations — helping to deliver on the Hospice’s mission to ensure that the people of Anglesey, Conwy and Gwynedd receive the end of life care they deserve."

All patients at the Holyhead hospice - and their families - will be able to access the Llandudno and Bangor facilities.

Plaid Cymru MP Llinos Medi said the announcement was "disastrous news" for families and staff.

She added: "I had a personal experience and saw excellent care at the Holyhead hospice a few months ago. These services must be better protected. I will contact St David’s Hospice for an urgent meeting."