Councillors urge ‘pause on care unit closure’ to allow consultation

During the Extraordinary Health, Care and Wellbeing Overview and Scrutiny Sub-Committee meeting on Monday, May 11, councillors asked York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust to conduct a ‘proper consultation’.

Protesters had gathered outside County Hall in Beverley ahead of the meeting to voice their fears about the proposed closure.

Councillor Andrew Cousins (Pocklington Ward) said: “I would like to ask for a pause in the delivery of the closure so proper consultation can be taken. It is owed to the people behind you (Bridlington residents) and the people in front of you (the councillors).”

Councillor Andy Walker, who chaired the meeting, said the council’s health and wellbeing scrutiny committee were “not sure the community care services are robust and mature enough” to replace the role played by the BCU, and that pausing the decision would allow for consultation.

He added: “If the consultation happened in this normal round to would have taken six to nine months of the plan being mooted to everyone coming with the trust in the right direction. As it is, we have just a few weeks.”

Councillor Jonathan Bibb (East Wolds and Coastal Ward) said: “I, and suspect many other residents, don’t feel cared for at the moment. Bridlington has the largest population centre in the East Riding and has the most deprivation and an extremely high elderly population.

“The closure of the care unit could be seen as an attack on the most vulnerable in the East Riding. The care unit is a real safety net for local people.

“Potentially we have a fantastic hospital in Bridlington. It’s hugely underutilised, and the services seem to be continually eroded.”

Bridlington and the Wolds MP Charlie Dewhirst, whose petition to keep the unit has accrued more then 4,000 signitures, said ahead of the meeting: “It was a great showing at East Riding of Yorkshire Council to protest the planned closure of Brid hospital’s BCU.

“While the decision remains an NHS one, I was pleased to see the council hold an extraordinary meeting to grill NHS leaders and ask more about the impact on East Yorkshire residents.

“I’m expecting to present our petition to the Government and the Health Secretary early next week, so thank you to all those helping to gather the thousands of signatures so far.”

Claire Hansen, chief operating officer at the trust, told the meeting: “This is a managed service change in line with the aim of providing care closer to home (in line with the HNS 10-year plan). The scope of the change is limited to the beds that are in BCU with Kent, Lloyd and Waters wards not impacted.

“Planned surgery, outpatients, rehabilitation and other services also continue unaffected.

“BCU currently serves patients from a range localities, but it can be challenging to find patients that meet the admission criteria due to it being GP-led.

“Diverting investment to the community means East Riding patients can be discharged home directly without an unnecessary step in their recovery journey.

“Funding is being diverted to support services so patients can be supported when they return home from hospital.

“The strategic intent is to support people in their own residence wherever possible. Longer stays in hospital risk deconditioning, infection, and poorer outcomes (especially in older people).

“There are 31 staff members affected by the change but there are sufficient vacancies for redeployment and no redundancies are anticipated.”

Dr Ed Smith, consultant in emergency medicine and care group director of medicine at the trust, added: “The earlier we get patients back in their own homes, the better.

“There is step down access to care homes in East Yorkshire were necessary, and for some of those residents who were stepped down to the BCU, who will still need bedded care, there will still be access to care homes.”

He said patients were “generally better off [being] managed in their own homes", and savings from the closure would be “reinvested in community services”.

Dr Smith added: “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.”

Go to tinyurl.com/5x6dpt97 to watch the full meeting on YouTube.