Skip to content

Dumfries and Galloway cottage hospital call to help tackle bed shortages

Russel Wills Newton Stewart HospitalRussel Wills
Newton Stewart hospital was one of the sites where in-patient facilities were shut in April 2020

A call is being made to reopen cottage hospitals in southern Scotland to help tackle bed shortages.

A motion has been tabled to Dumfries and Galloway Council seeking the return to use of the facilities which were closed due to Covid.

It says that it could help to ease the "ever-increasing impact" of delayed discharges in the region.

However, the health board said reopening the sites would actually end up making the problem worse.

Four cottage hospitals in the region - at Thornhill, Moffat, Newton Stewart and Kirkcudbright - were shut to inpatients at the start of the Covid pandemic as part of plans to deal with a surge in cases.

It allowed staff to be redeployed to work as part of community-based teams.

There have now been calls to bring their 53 beds back into use to help tackle issues facing the health board.

It warned earlier this year that it was facing higher demand than that encountered at any stage of the pandemic.

More than 100 people were estimated to be in hospital who no longer had any clinical need to be there.

A motion to Dumfries and Galloway Council by its independent group said it was "gravely concerned" by the pressures on health services.

It called for a range of measures, including looking at how refugees and asylum seekers with qualifications could be used to help tackle recruitment issues.

It also asked NHS Dumfries and Galloway to look at reopening the cottage hospitals "as a matter of urgency".

However, a report by the health board said that move would not actually address the situation.

Reduced capacity

It said reopening the hospitals would mean staff returning to those locations from their current community roles.

It added that would mean they could only care for half the patients they currently do.

"The net effect would be a reduction in our care capacity and a further increase in the level of delayed discharges," it said.

A review of community bed provision is due to begin in January to look at the future of services.

The health board has promised widespread consultation to ensure it follows the "most appropriate" model for the years to come.