By Daniel Mumby, Local Democracy Reporter
BEDS at Somerset’s community hospitals could be closed or relocated under planned changes to treat more people closer to home.
The Somerset NHS Foundation Trust operates 13 inpatient wards across its 11 community hospitals, located in Bridgwater, Burnham-on-Sea, Chard, Crewkerne, Frome, Glastonbury, Minehead, Shepton Mallet, South Petherton, Wellington, Williton and Wincanton.
Following the publication of the government’s ten-year plan for the NHS, the trust is consulting on proposals to close, relocate or re-purpose inpatient beds, with more emphasis being placed on “pathway beds” to get patients out of acute hospitals and being able to receive further treatment at home.
Somerset Council’s adults and health scrutiny committee is expected to discuss the plans in detail in the coming weeks, with its vice-chair criticising the trust for acting “without transparency or engagement”.
The trust said it was happy to co-operate with the council and that no final decision on any bed closures had yet been made.
At Bridgwater, the trust plans to increase the number of “pathway care” beds to 36, with a further nine beds being “re-purposed”.
West Mendip Community Hospital in Glastonbury will see 20 beds converted for pathway use, with South Petherton also seeing 20 beds “transitioned” to this role.
Williton will retain 20 beds for pathway use, while Chard and Wellington will both see “temporary reductions before final changes” are implemented.
Councillor Claire Sully, the vice-chair of the council’s adults and health scrutiny committee, has called for an urgent meeting to discuss the changes before final decisions are taken in the autumn.
She said: “Residents and Somerset Council have yet to see the full business case behind these plans.
“The trust is sharing this information only internally with staff, in order to change employment contracts, without transparency or engagement with the wider community.
“This lack of openness raises serious concerns about the impacts of these changes – especially as they seem to be permanent reductions in hospital beds and services for our local communities.”
The trust had previously indicated that it would be reducing beds at Frome Community Hospital, with similar reports recently surfacing about Crewkerne’s facilities.
Ms Sully’s Mendip South division comprises numerous villages within a short drive of the community hospitals in Glastonbury and Shepton Mallet.
She continued: “While the trust cites shifting demand, with more care being delivered at home, the full details of the rationale and planning remain hidden from public view.
“Many residents are alarmed that these are not just short-term testing or trial ideas but potentially permanent changes, with staff contracts already being prepared for a future where roles, working areas and beds are cut long-term.
“This raises questions about community involvement, care quality, and the criteria being used to make such significant decisions.
“I believe decisive action must be taken now to avoid rushing through changes without proper oversight or community input.”
The Somerset NHS Foundation Trust said it was happy to discuss the changes with councillors and would publish details of the summer-long public consultation in the coming weeks.
A spokesperson said: “We look forward to meeting with colleagues on the adults and health scrutiny committee to discuss how we can improve care and access for patients in Somerset. The NHS ten-year plan provides us with real opportunities to shift care appropriately into communities and improve the care and experience of patients.
“No decisions have been made to permanently close any community hospital beds.
“We are increasing investment in community services and care home beds, and temporarily reducing the number of community hospital beds in some areas. We want to test whether these temporary changes will decrease the number of patients whose discharge from an acute hospital is delayed, decrease the time patients currently wait for community services following an acute hospital stay, increase the proportion of patients who are discharged from an acute hospital to their own home and able to remain at home, and improve flow through our acute hospitals.”
• Picture: West Mendip Community Hospital on Old Wells Road in Glastonbury (Google Maps)