Somerset community hospital beds 'to close'

There are 13 community hospitals in Somerset, including the specialist stroke unit in South Petherton

Eighty beds at community hospitals across Somerset would close under plans backed by the GP-led group in charge of spending on local services.

Forty beds currently temporarily closed would remain shut while another 40 would go over the next five years.

The closures would be part of wider plans to provide more care in the community for an ageing population.

The group also backed working towards pooled budgets for social and NHS care in principle.

'No sudden change'

On Thursday, Somerset Clinical Commissioning Group's governing body backed the community hospitals proposals - although a final decision will not be made before further consultation.

Chairman Dr Matthew Dolman told BBC Somerset it was a "controlled approach" to getting the best value for money.

"Those 40 beds have been closed for a year already - it is nothing dramatic, no sudden change," he said.

He said treating people at home meant they lived longer.

The governing body also said with "more and more patients" being discharged early from hospital and treated at home, a "further 40 inpatient beds" could be released "in time".

Alan Judge, of the Friends of Wincanton Hospital, said he was worried people would end up having a 40-mile round trip to Yeovil if all of the hospital's 28 beds closed.

There are 13 community hospitals in Somerset, which would be re-classified into three different models, under the proposals:

• "Step-up units", which would admit patients from home who need nursing care, offering outpatient care and a minor injuries unit

• "Step-down units" which would take patients discharged from larger hospitals, who still need care

• "Health and well-being centres" where outpatient services and clinics would be offered, but no in-patient beds

Somerset County Council has already agreed to back the idea of pooled budgets for NHS and social care in principle.

The meeting heard that if structures were not changed to address the budget pressures and the challenges of a rising over-65 population there could be a £200m budget shortfall.