NHS hospital beds will return to Rothbury at the beginning of January after a years-long public campaign.
Early in 2022, the Northumbria Healthcare NHS Trust announced that a "first of its kind" partnership with care firm Rothbury Cottage Care would see flexible NHS bed space return to the village - along with new care home provision. Now, the trust has announced the revamped Rothbury Community Hospital will open on January 10, 2023.
The old inpatient ward at the hospital is now a residential care home with 12 en-suite bedrooms available. Those beds can be accessed by NHS patients too.
A new team of district nurses, GPs and nurse practitioners will offer clinical support to those patients, who will also receive home-cooked food, the NHS trust said.
This comes more than six years after the inpatient ward at Rothbury Community Hospital was closed - initially "temporarily" - after it was found to be "underused". But campaigners from the Save Rothbury Community Hospital group have pushed for the inpatient ward to reopen. This had initially been planned for April 2020, but that was scuppered by Covid-19.
The campaign group has said it is "delighted" that hospital beds will soon return. Katie Scott, co-ordinator of the campaign, said: "It is difficult to express how proud and happy we are that this vision has now become a reality.
"We have been fighting for this outcome for six years, and we are absolutely delighted at the end result. Rothbury Cottage Care, and the NHS beds, will be of great benefit to our community, and in particular, to the most vulnerable.”
And Northumberland councillor Steven Bridgett, who represents the Rothbury division, added: "I am very pleased that this care facility, which will provide invaluable community hospital and residential care to our local communities, is going to finally open in the new year.
"Thank you to the trust, Rothbury Cottage Care and to the GP practice who will support the model of care. This is a very good example of how care can be integrated and can only benefit our local residents. It has taken a while to get to this point and I appreciate everyone’s input and hard work to make this happen."
The hospital trust's chief executive, Sir James Mackey, said he was sure that the patients and care home residents would receive "compassionate and high-quality care" and added: "We would like to personally thank every single person who has been involved in enabling this pioneering model of care to become a reality – those in the local community, those who work in our trust and colleagues from Rothbury Cottage Care.
"A huge amount of planning and hard work has gone into this and we thank people for their dedication, determination and patience."
The NHS provision will be reviewed at three- and six-month intervals to consider how many patients are admitted, why they are admitted and for how long. Any situations where they are not able to access the NHS beds will also be assessed so the Northumbria NHS trust can make any changes as required.
The trust's executive director of nursing, midwifery and allied health professionals Marion Dixon said: "The space is so homely and welcoming, which is very important as most people accessing the facility will be elderly and vulnerable. This partnership between the trust and Rothbury Cottage Care is an excellent example of integrated healthcare being delivered in local community and of the person receiving care being at the centre of decision making."
Nigel Dawson, director of Rothbury Cottage Care - part of the People First Care - said he was "delighted with the finish" of the new rooms, and said he was looking forward to welcoming the first residents and patients.
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