Council urges pause on hospital ward closure plans

Plans to shut a hospital ward have to be paused amid concerns patients could be left without adequate support, a council urges.

The Humber & North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board (ICB) announced in April it would close the Bridlington Care Unit (BCU), which provides care for people after they receive medical treatment.

At an emergency meeting earlier, councillors asked the ICB to review the plans, stating concerns over availability of care outside of the hospital.

Dr Ed Smith, from York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said patients were "generally better off [being] managed in their own homes", and savings from the closure would be "reinvested in community services".

"We would not be discharging patients from hospital unless we were absolutely certain and happy that they had effective care in place at their residence," said Smith.

Councillor Andy Walker, who chaired the meeting, said East Riding of Yorkshire Council's health and wellbeing scrutiny committee were "not sure the community care services are robust and mature enough" to replace the role currently played by the BCU.

"Everyone in that room wants residents to be better re-abled to live their life in the place they call home. [But] it's not always possible."

He said "real-life experiences" by patients had highlighted "shortcomings in the [care] services".

Ruth Dixon, a former nurse who lives in Bridlington, said she doubted whether closing the BCU would lead to more elderly people being treated at home.

"I think if Bridlington residents are stuck in beds, they'll be stuck in beds in Scarborough Hospital. If it's a full process there needs to be provision in place for people to leave hospital wherever that is.

"If it's an unsafe discharge, people will not manage at home and will bounce back into hospital," she said.

Bridlington and The Wolds MP Charlie Dewhirst said closing the facility would remove the "halfway point" for those between finishing treatment and being sent home.

He set up a petition calling for the unit to remain open, which has gathered more than 4,000 signatures.

"It's a really, really important part of that health journey," he said.

Stuart Kenworthy, whose mother was transferred from Scarborough to the BCU, said the facility had made a "real difference" to her recovery.

He joined several others who were protesting outside County Hall in Beverley where the meeting was taking place.

"The fact that my dad could go up every day, or I could go up every day, to Bridlington really helped her improve.

"I think it reduced the amount of time that she was in hospital in the end because she was getting that reassurance."

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