Patients moved as staff sickness closes ward

PATIENTS at an East Coast hospital had to be moved by ambulance after their ward was closed by staff sickness.
By The Newsroom
Published 3rd Aug 2011, 07:00 BST

The 12-bed ward at Hornsea Cottage Hospital was closed last Friday and has yet to re-open.

Managers at Humber NHS Foundation Trust would not say how many nurses had reported sick or how many were needed to run the ward, but said managers were reviewing the situation each day.

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Angie Mason, director of nursing and service delivery at the trust, said: “We have temporarily closed the inpatient ward at Hornsea Cottage Hospital due to availability of staff as a result of sickness. This action has been necessary to ensure services remain safe for patients.

“A small number of patients on the ward at the time of closure have been transferred to other local community hospitals and the maintenance of their care plans is our priority.

“We are reviewing staff availability on a daily basis and anticipate that the closure will be a short-term issue. It is our aim to re-open the ward as soon as is safe and sustainable to do so.”

Beverley and Holderness MP Graham Stuart said he had been given assurances by the trust that the ward would be re-opened “soon”.

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He added: “It is essential that appropriate staff are recruited, managed and motivated to maintain services at the cottage hospital.”

The ward will close permanently next year when a new £19m community hospital opens in Beverley.

Related topics:Patients