Update on the community hospital inpatient review

South Warwickshire NHS Foundation Trust (SWFT) are currently undertaking a review of the inpatient beds at the community hospitals: Ellen Badger and the Nicol Unit at Stratford Hospital.

SWFT told us: “The focus of this review is to ensure we are providing the services that meet the health and care needs of the people of south Warwickshire, both now and in years to come. The first stage of the review has been exploring previous, current, and future use of the community hospital beds. We have been working with Healthwatch Warwickshire to gather the views of previous and potential patients regarding the inpatient services. We are very grateful to Healthwatch and everyone who took their time to share their views and experiences.”

We were asked to gather and analyse the views of past and potential patients about their experience, or hypothetical needs in relation to community bed provision in South Warwickshire.

We heard from over 500 people, and the feedback received was largely positive. It is clear that the community beds provision is a highly valued service. Some people told us that they felt it was an appropriate way to transition between an acute stay in hospital and returning home. Others told us how they valued being close to home, and family and friends so that they could visit; and the benefits of the smaller nature of community hospitals as opposed to larger hospitals which can be hard to navigate your way around.

Full reports of the surveys conducted by Healthwatch can be found here:

https://www.healthwatchwarwickshire.co.uk/report/2021-09-20/south-warwickshire-community-beds-review