Damian Hinds MP raises concerns over plans to reduce beds at Petersfield Community Hospital and Summerlee in Portsmouth
A Hampshire MP has raised concerns that a reduction in community hospital beds could lead to higher costs for the NHS as emphasis is placed on home-based rehabilitation.
Damian Hinds, the Conservative MP for East Hampshire, has written to Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (HIOWH) regarding proposals to reduce hospital beds at Petersfield Community Hospital.
The trust is proposing to remove 20 beds from the Rowan Ward in Petersfield as well as the Summerlee Unit in Portsmouth. The changes are in line with recommendations from NHS England for a greater emphasis to be placed on home-based rehabilitation.
Patients at Queen Alexandra Hospital and other acute hospitals may need to be transferred to a community hospital before going home, others are released straight to home. HIOWH has said that there is evidence that a ‘home-first’ approach is more beneficial to patients.
However, according to the trust, the demand for home-based rehabilitation currently exceeds capacity while the capacity for hospital-based exceeds demand. The proposed changes will see staff being moved from the hospital to support patients in their home. Hospital-based rehabilitation will still be available for those who need it.
Damian Hinds has raised concerns that the change could lead to some patients waiting longer at QA Hospital if beds are full at the likes of Summerlee and Petersfield.
The letter to HIOWH and the Integrated Care Board (ICB) said: “The priority must of course always be what is best for patients. I do understand that in many cases recovery at home after an acute hospital stay is optimal.
“However, the availability of step-down care in a community hospital is also vital, and our local community hospitals also provide step-up care and end-of-life care. The staff of both Alton and Petersfield hospitals have a high reputation with patients and their families.
“Obviously people need the right care at the right time, according to their individual needs. Timely discharge from a major hospital is generally better for patients, and ensures the acute beds are available for those that need them. But ‘left-shift’ can mean more people moving into a community hospital as well as more moving straight home.
“It is imperative there is the right provision for both. If, say, more people ended up waiting longer to leave Queen Alexandra hospital because of fewer community hospital beds being available, that would be bad for patient outcomes, and actually mean higher cost for the NHS as a whole.”
A spokesperson for HIOWH has said the changes will ensure patients receive the “most appropriate care at the right time and in the right place”.
Wendy Rees, Managing Director of the Portsmouth and South East Hampshire Division for Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Petersfield Hospital is a key healthcare facility to local residents and those further afield – and it will remain so.
“We recognise the level of interest in these plans and want to help local people understand why the changes are needed, what is being proposed and the difference it will make. The rationale behind current proposals is to ensure everyone receives the most appropriate care at the right time and in the right place.
“Under these proposals, step down care will remain, with the right amount of beds to meet demand, whilst creating additional resource to support more people in their own homes, responding to what people have told us they want, where we are seeing the greatest demand and what the evidence demonstrates has the best outcomes.
“We wish to be completely transparent regarding our proposals and would encourage everyone interested to read them in full to understand the whole picture. They are available online and set out how future care would be delivered, modelled on the Home First approach. Alongside ongoing in-person public drop-ins and engagement sessions, there is the opportunity to share views online.”
When news broke of the plans, Petersfield residents started a petition to retain the capacity of Rowan Ward which at the time of writing has garnered 3,792 signatures.
The full proposal can be viewed online at https://hiowhealthcare.nhs.uk/about-us/improving-our-services/increasing-home-based-rehabilitation