'Future is neighbourhood care' amid ward closure

Faversham Cottage Hospital's inpatient ward closed in May

An NHS trust boss has said she will work with other services to consider "what we can deliver in the home" amid a Kent hospital's ongoing ward closure.

Faversham Cottage Hospital closed its inpatient ward in July and has since said it aims to reopen the service in December if it can be safely staffed.

Hospital boss Mairead McCormick said there would "always be a need for bedded care" but "as a bedded unit on its own, that will not work for the future".

"I think the future is neighbourhood healthcare," she said, "not just the building."

Campaign group Concern for Health in East Kent welcomed the December target and said the update reflected the "dedicated efforts" of the Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust.

Faversham and Mid Kent MP Helen Whately said the target date was "good news".

"The NHS has been clear that December is only a target and not yet a confirmed date, so I'll be continuing to push for a firm commitment," she said.

The urgent treatment centre and GP services at the hospital, which provides rehabilitation for patients, are unaffected by the inpatient ward closure.

'Critical point'

Ms McCormick, the chief executive of Kent Community Health, said the trust had been "doing lots of recruitment" and that she was "really optimistic" about the progress made.

The staffing situation "did reach a critical point quite quickly" in July, she told BBC Politics South East, after staff left or were off sick within a "couple of days", including in leadership roles.

She said: "It's unfortunate that all of those things came together but it was very much on the grounds of safety."

The trust said December was only a target for reopening and was contingent on staff inductions going smoothly.

The ward's remaining staff are deployed in community teams or at other hospitals during the closure.