Second protest held over planned ward closure

A second demonstration involving hundreds of people has taken place in Rugby

More than 400 people have marched through Rugby in protest over the planned closure of a hospital ward.

The Hospital of St Cross's Hoskyn Ward, accounting for 25 out of 110 beds on the site, is earmarked to close on 4 December.

A previous march last month over the decision to close the ward in the Warwickshire town also attracted hundreds.

University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust has said it has ambitious plans to redevelop the hospital and provide a high-quality environment for staff and patients.

The elderly care ward is set to shut, more than a decade after the hospital lost its A&E department.

The campaigners also want better emergency care. The current urgent treatment centre is nurse-led, so many patients have to travel more than 10 miles to Coventry's University Hospital.

Michelle Mitchell said "it's all about lack of staff"

One protester, Robin Lightfoot, said: "We've already got a lot of elderly residents in Rugby, so why are we shutting down the... ward, when it's one of the most needed wards and it does a lot of good.

"My grandma was helped by it. A lot of people here's family members were helped by it."

Former nurse Michelle Mitchell stated: "I'm so passionate about it, I could burst into tears right now.

"It's all about lack of staff... Change the training, make it easier. We don't need university training for nurses. It's a caring vocational job."

The trust said the hospital did not need so many inpatient beds

Previously, a trust spokesperson had said the closure was in response to a drop in demand for the transfers of patients from Coventry to the hospital and access to inpatient beds would remain the same.

Trust chief executive Prof Andy Hardy has said the hospital no longer needed the current number of inpatient beds, according to a review.

He stated there had been recent investments in new operating theatres and a new endoscopy unit at the site.

“Further to this, in 2026, subject to approval of a planning application by Rugby Borough Council, we plan to build a new ward and theatre block on the site," he said.