Somerset NHS Foundation Trust is proposing changes to inpatient beds across its 11 community hospitals, potentially closing, relocating, or repurposing them to focus on treating more patients closer to home. These hospitals, located in Bridgwater, Burnham-on-Sea, Chard, Crewkerne, Frome, Glastonbury, Minehead, Shepton Mallet, South Petherton, Wellington, Williton, and Wincanton, currently operate 13 inpatient wards.
The proposals align with the government’s NHS ten-year plan, emphasizing an increase in “pathway care” beds designed to facilitate patient transfers from acute hospitals and allow further treatment at home. Under these changes, Bridgwater will see an increase to 36 pathway care beds, with nine others repurposed. Glastonbury’s West Mendip Community Hospital and South Petherton will each convert 20 beds for pathway use, while Williton will maintain 20 such beds. Chard and Wellington are expected to undergo temporary bed reductions ahead of final decisions.
The plans have sparked concerns from Somerset Council’s adults and health scrutiny committee. Vice-chair Councillor Claire Sully criticized the trust for a lack of transparency and limited community engagement, highlighting that staff contract changes were being made without public involvement. She emphasized the community’s worry that these changes might be permanent rather than temporary measures.
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Sully stressed the need for urgent dialogue, stating that detailed business cases have not been shared publicly, leaving residents uncertain about the rationale and potential impacts on care quality and access. She pointed out that such changes affect her Mendip South division, which includes villages close to Glastonbury and Shepton Mallet community hospitals.
In response, Somerset NHS Foundation Trust assured it is willing to cooperate with council members and that no final decisions have been made to permanently close beds. The trust plans to hold a public consultation over the summer and reiterated that the temporary reductions aim to improve patient flow, reduce delays in discharge from acute hospitals, and enhance home-based care options.
A trust spokesperson said: “The NHS ten-year plan provides us with real opportunities to shift care into communities, improving patient experience. We are focused on testing whether these changes will reduce the length of hospital stays and increase the proportion of patients discharged directly to their own homes.”