Campaigners march to save Bishop's Castle hospital beds

About 160 people marched through the streets of Bishop's Castle

Hundreds of people have marched through a Shropshire town to protest against bed closures at a community hospital.

All 16 inpatient beds at Bishop's Castle Community Hospital in Shropshire were closed in October 2021, a move described at the time as temporary.

But campaigners fear a permanent arrangement following the move, which came amid severe staff shortages.

Campaign group Save Our Beds claimed 30,000 bed days had been lost in the region's hospitals due to the closures.

Patricia Davis, chief executive of Shropshire Community NHS Trust, said the board recognised the "enormous strength of feeling" among the local community.

She said a decision on the beds' future would be made at a meeting on 7 September.

A decision had been due on 3 August but was deferred to allow the board to review an independent report assessing recruitment concerns.

The trust had previously said there was no "reasonable prospect" of re-opening the beds. It had also said vacancies were so chronic, there was a safety risk.

Alicia Hegarty from Save Our Beds said community nurses never heard back from the hospital when applying for jobs

Following the 2021 closures, most patients were cared for at home or at Ludlow Community Hospital.

About 160 residents of Bishop's Castle protested on Thursday, with many saying it was "crazy" the beds were not being used.

Alicia Hegarty, from Save Our Beds, claimed community nurses had applied for jobs at the hospital but had "never heard back".

"They told us they applied for jobs and [were] told the hospital is closing, or they applied for jobs and never heard anything," she explained.

"We know that it's lacklustre."

A patient said: "[The issue] really means a lot now [because of] the age I am, my husband couldn't come because he is 88.

"We want the beds here in Bishops Castle."

Protesters gathered outside of the hospital which has 16 beds

The trust had previously said the temporary closure decision was made due to "sustained and unacceptable levels of nursing vacancies".

"These were at such a level the trust was unable to safely staff the inpatient beds and there were serious patient safety and quality concerns," it said.

"There had been over 100 shifts in the preceding six months where the ward was covered with 100% agency staff."