Cleethorpes MP, Shona McIsaac, has sought reassurances from hospital bosses and doctors about the future of Ward C4 at Diana Princess of Wales Hospital in Grimsby.

Speaking today, Shona commented:

‘I was as shocked as everyone else when I heard that the ward was about to close. This is a medical ward for people over the age of 75 – people admitted to the ward can be very poorly and frail.

‘Since the news broke, many worried people have been in touch with me about the ward – from those who work on the word to the general public.

‘Today, I have been in discussions with hospital bosses to get behind the headlines and find out what is happening.

‘I put the following to them:

‘Are the rumours of imminent closure of ward C4 true?

‘If the rumours are true, the hospital must guarantee that there are no redundancies among the dedicated people who work with the elderly on the ward.

‘There must be discussions with the unions and patient representatives about the future if the ward.

‘Is there any truth in the rumours that this is being done for financial reasons and not clinical ones?

‘What assurances can be given to patients and their families that people won’t be discharged too early when they are still poorly.

I put these points to Andrew North, the boss of the hospital trust.

‘First, Andrew has assured me that whatever happens to the ward, there will be no redundancies for the 25 or so staff on the ward.

‘Second, he has also guaranteed that there will be a series of meetings over the next few days to discuss the planned changes.

‘Mr North took the time to explain what is happening and why.

‘He stressed that the planned changes in the way care is delivered to the over-75s admitted into the hospital in Grimsby for medical reasons – such as falls, mini-strokes, etc – was being done for clinical reasons to improve the standard of care for elderly people.

‘People over-75 stay in our hospital for much, much longer than is the average in other hospitals.

‘This has a huge impact on the hospital. Often elderly patients, who should be in medical wards, are allocated surgical beds in other parts of the hospital. This, of course, impacts on surgical specialities. And, the longer someone is in hospital, the more susceptible they are to picking up hospital acquired infections.

‘The doctors and clinicians at the hospital felt that they could provide much better care for elderly people who are admitted to the hospital for medical reasons.

‘So earlier this year, doctors conducted a pilot study to improve working practices for the over-75s admitted for medical reasons.

‘By improving and speeding up access to tests and diagnostics, for example, in the early part of a stay, patients got better quicker and could go home earlier.

‘The doctors stressed that in the pilot study, no one was discharged before they were medically fit to go home.
 

‘The results were very noticeable - there was a three to five day reduction in the length of time elderly patients stayed in hospital.

‘Now consultants at the hospital want to use what they learnt in the pilot to reduce the length of time elderly patients stay in hospital.

‘Mr North has explained to me that of this works, elderly people will not have to take up surgical beds – this means these beds are free for surgical use and could lead to quicker treatment of surgical cases.

‘After the changes in working practices are introduced and if there is evidence based on clinical assessment that less elderly medical beds are needed, then the plans are to refurbish C4 and make it available, for example, for a new and improved coronary care ward.

‘Many people have mentioned to me that the closure is going ahead for financial reasons. Mr North insists that this is totally untrue. The plans to reduce the length of time elderly medical patients stay in hospital is being done for sound clinical reasons in the best interests of patient care.

‘I appreciate it that Andrew North has guaranteed that there will be no immediate closure and that there will be no redundancies. That has reassured me in the short-term. I can see where the doctors are coming from – they wants to improve elderly medical care. I respect their professioanlism and knowledge. However, I will be keeping a close eye on developments over the coming days and weeks.’