Public invited to share views on future of Bishop's Castle hospital

A lack of clarity had led to low morale and fears it would close permanently, staff said in March

Hospital bosses in Shropshire are urging the public to share ideas about the future of a hospital which closed temporarily two years ago.

Staff shortages at Bishop's Castle Community Hospital (BCCH) led to its 12-bed unit closing.

Shropshire Community Trust said it still faced recruitment problems and could not reopen safely in the "near future".

An engagement process has started with stakeholders, the public and staff.

In March, staff said they had been kept in the dark about the future of the unit and the lack of clarity had led to low morale and fears it would close permanently.

Recruitment challenge

But Clair Hobbs, director of nursing, workforce and clinical delivery at the the trust, told BBC News on Wednesday that there was still a 60% vacancy rate there for registered nurses at the unit and it could not currently reopen.

Events had been held by the trust to attract more nurses and it had also increased the number of student nurses used in the hope of retaining some once they had qualified, she said.

The rural nature of Shropshire and Telford also represented a recruitment challenge, especially in even more remote areas like Bishop's Castle.

"So it is right and proper that we consider our options at this point in time," she said.

"We're wanting to now go through a form of engagement with the public, stakeholders and our staff to talk to them about is there anything else we could do, what type of facilities would they want to see for Bishop's Castle Hospital, but recognising the engagement is purely around the in-patient beds as well and that's what we've started this week."

Current suggestions around other uses for the facility include housing scanners, diabetic eye appointments or even to become a food bank service.

"The hospital is not closed. It's a beautiful facility that was want to use and support and we're just focussed on that now," Ms Hobbs added.

People who want to take part in the process can speak to researchers in the town on Thursday, join focus groups and attend two public meetings in July or use an online survey on the hospital website.