Bishop's Castle Community Hospital to close due to lack of staff

All current inpatients at Bishop's Castle Community Hospital will be moved to other care by 31 October, the NHS said

A community hospital in Shropshire will be temporarily closed due to a lack of staff, health bosses said.

No new patients will be admitted to Bishop's Castle Community Hospital at the end of the week, Shropshire Community Health NHS Trust said.

Recruitment has been an issue for several years at the 16-bed facility, it said, and has been made worse by the coronavirus pandemic.

All current inpatients will be assessed and moved to other care by 31 October.

A spokesperson for the trust said it has been "extremely difficult" over the past six months to get the qualified staff needed to run the hospital.

They praised the current workforce and said it had been a difficult decision to temporarily close the site.

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The trust has not said when the hospital will reopen but added it would continue to work on plans for "new models of care".

Residents in Bishop's Castle said the closure was a "pity" and they hoped it would reopen

Patricia Wainwright, who lives in Bishop's Castle, said hospital staff had given her husband "wonderful care" when he was ill.

"I am very sad, because it is part of the community and I hope it is going to open again," she added.

Another resident, Duncan Bennett, said the closure was a pity: "Family have used it in the past and it is really handy for us."

Local MP, Ludlow's Philip Dunne, said he had been told by health bosses the closure was just a temporary measure.

"I have been assured that the decision has been taken on patient safety grounds, and once sufficient staff have been recruited, the hospital will resume normal service," he added.