Bishop's Castle recruitment drive to continue into next year - bosses

Save Our Beds campaigners have been fighting for the reopening of the unit

A recruitment drive for staff at a Shropshire hospital will continue into next year to enable the reopening of a ward, health bosses have confirmed.

Staff shortages closed the 16-bed unit at Bishop's Castle Hospital in 2021, which was said to be a temporary move at the time.

Campaigners have since been fighting for the unit to reopen.

Shropshire Community Health NHS Trust (ShropCom) said just 3.44 whole-time equivalent (WTE) vacancies are left.

The trust considered withdrawing from running the service in September, before agreeing to have one final recruitment drive.

Last month, Save Our Beds campaigners said the group was now "working well with the trust" and praised their efforts for trying to save the unit.

At their December meeting, a report by ShropCom showed that out of the 12.24 WTE staff required to run the in-patient unit 8.8 have so far been recruited.

The ward was for patients too well to be in an acute hospital but not well enough to be at home

Claire Hobbs, director of nursing and workforce at ShropCom, said they had been working with the hospital community and the campaign group, and had held open days and events which was a "different approach".

"We're continuing with those very positive recruitment campaigns for Bishop's Castle in January and February and then in the March time we will look at what that has yielded in terms of the recruitment efforts around the in-patient service," she said.

The remainder of the hospital is open and beds have also been available at the trust's three other inpatient units - Ludlow, Bridgnorth and Whitchurch.

Of the 8.8 WTE recruited to Bishop's Castle, 3.47 are currently working at Ludlow Community Hospital, the trust said, and the number of suitable applicants for the advertised registered nurse roles "have slowed" and there "remains a risk" the total number needed will not be achieved.

"We're going to continue and will be clearer about what that's yielded in terms of the in-patient unit in February or March time," ShropCom chief executive Patricia Davies said.

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations.