Concerns emerge over future of community hospital ward

Concerns have emerged over the future of a Richmond hospital ward which provides palliative care and rehabilitation.

Staff at the Victoria Ward at the Friary Community Hospital, in Richmond, have been told the ward is at risk of closure as part of a reorganisation of local NHS services, it is understood.

Richmond and Northallerton MP Rishi Sunak has also sought assurances about the ward’s future after being contacted by concerned constituents.
NHS chiefs have admitted this week that they are assessing how they can provide care closer to patients’ homes, although they have not confirmed if the ward could potentially shut.

The Victoria Ward is a nurse-led ward which offers services including palliative care, rehabilitation following general surgery and orthopaedic surgery.

It is understood that senior doctors are considering whether some of its services can instead be provided by the Hospital at Home service, pioneered by Friarage Hospital in Northallerton.

The service aims to offer a hospital standard of care in people’s own homes.
Care is provided to a range of patients, including those who have suffered falls, have a long-term disability or have been released from hospital after treatment.

Mr Sunak said he had written to Stacey Hunter, the chief executive of South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the hospital, amid concerns about the future of the ward.

He said: “Last month, I was contacted about the future of the Friary and specific concerns were raised with me that the Victoria Ward could close.
 While I am not aware of any firm proposal being put forward at this stage, I have sought assurances about the services currently provided by the ward, the jobs of the staff employed there and the future of the GP practice which is also housed in the Friary building. The Friary Hospital is much loved in Richmond and the wider Dales area and I know from my visits there the special place it has in many families’ hearts because of the wonderful care relatives have received over the years. I am also mindful of the recent investment that has taken place there to modernise the ward.”

Mr Sunak said he was waiting for Ms Hunter’s response.

Councillor Stuart Parsons, North Yorkshire Council division member for Richmond, said the closure would be an “absolute disaster for patients and their families” in the area. “I can’t believe that the NHS could be so stupid as to close a much-valued and used community hospital,” he said.
“The NHS would also have to provide full access and transport to other locations, which I am sure would cost much more than they are currently spending.” The councillor added: “The community will fight hard to keep the Friary Hospital open.”

The community hospital received an overall rating of ‘good’ in its latest report from the Care Quality Commission. Concerns have, however, been growing in recent years about access arrangements to the ward. An open staircase has been deemed a health hazard, particularly for patients with dementia, and there have also been worries over the reliability of the lift in the building, it is understood.

One suggestion has been to move the ward to the ground floor, with the Friends of the Friary Hospital, a charity which supports the hospital, willing to consider helping the NHS with the costs of the relocation.

Jacqui Bennett, chair of the friends group, said they were aware of the rumours and concerns regarding the ward. She added: “We are liaising closely with South Tees Hospitals NHS Trust and other relevant parties. Our charity is offering support in facilitating prevention of such closure as we strongly believe the Victoria Ward provides a much needed and valued healthcare provision for the community of Richmondshire and beyond.”

The ward was temporarily closed to inpatients in 2022 due to low water pressure and other problems with the building.

The ward reopened almost a year later following work by the private landlord.

South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust began working with North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust as University Hospitals Tees last year.

The LDRS asked the trust to comment on claims that staff had been advised the ward could close.

In response, a spokesperson for University Hospitals Tees said: “As we continue to develop our hospital group model, we are looking to provide innovative ways of caring to improve both patient experience and patient outcomes. We are currently reviewing the way we provide all of our services to ensure we provide equal access to treatment and deliver care closer to home.”