Nurses at Summerlee Unit in Harry Sotnick House facing cuts as NHS Trust prioritises "home focused support"
A Portsmouth rehabilitation unit is facing cuts as the NHS focus turns to home based support.
The News understands that nurses based at the Summerlee Unit in Cranleigh Avenue were told that they would need to look for new jobs, with changes to the services being made later this year.
The inpatient unit looks after patients who were in an acute hospital setting and are being assessed for what support they need and are given rehabilitation care, as well as caring for patients who have no home support or are waiting to be placed into a care home. The 40-bed unit, formerly known as the Jubilee Unit, is located within Harry Sotnick House which provides support to dementia patients, but is run separately.
A Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust spokesperson has confirmed that changes are being made with a focus on home-based support. The trust has said it is “committed to supporting staff” and “setting out options” for individuals to work across community locations.
The trust believes the change will be beneficial to patients who can be treated in the familiar surroundings of their home.
Wendy Rees, managing director of the Portsmouth and South East Hants division of Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We are incredibly proud of the care delivered by our nursing teams on Summerlee Unit within Harry Sotnick House, co-located alongside Portsmouth City Council colleagues in the same building.
“The recent launch of our Trust Strategy 2025-30 as well as the publication of NHS 10 year health plan sets out our commitment to continuously assess the need for, and type of, healthcare delivery in the community and closer to people’s homes.
“In 2025/26 we plan to expand the local offer to increase the number of people receiving support at home rather than in a hospital inpatient bedded setting. Evidence also tells us that many patients welcome this home focused support, and can thrive in terms of their recovery in familiar surroundings.
“As part of this work, we are speaking with our staff on Summerlee to reconfigure the beds there to ensure that care can be delivered in the most effective and agile ways across Portsmouth.
“We are committed to supporting staff in discussions and setting out options for those individuals to work across community locations.”
Further details on the services delivered by the unit at https://hiowhealthcare.nhs.uk/our-services/our-main-sites-and-locations/harry-sotnick-house