Decision made on rehabilitation beds allocation across three South Warwickshire hospitals which leaves one with none

After a six-week public consultation which started in January, The NHS Coventry and Warwickshire Integrated Care Board (ICB) has announced that the rehabilitation beds in South Warwickshire will be permanently located at two sites, Leamington Spa Rehabilitation Hospital and Stratford Hospital, following a decision made at a meeting of the board yesterday (Wednesday March 19).

In addition to the two site model, the other option being considered was distributing the beds across three sites, reducing the number of beds currently at Leamington Spa Hospital and Stratford Hospital but returning up to 12 beds to Ellen Badger Hospital in Shipston-on-Stour.

Locating community rehabilitation beds at two sites will see a continuation of the current arrangements, after South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust (SWFT) temporarily relocated 16 beds from Ellen Badger Hospital in January 2022 due to works at the hospital site.

The ICB Board’s decision will see this move made permanent and these beds remain at Leamington Spa Hospital.

In late January, protestors gathered outside Warwickshire County Council’s Shire Hall headquarters in Warwick to try to convince those involved with the decision to keep some of the beds at Ellen Badger.

The furore over the future of services at the redeveloped Shipston hospital has rumbled on for years.

In a statement, the board has said: “ Recognising that there is need for a wider consideration of health services for our rural communities, the board also agreed to adopt a whole system approach to engagement with our communities, prioritising rural communities initially, aligned with the Neighbourhood Health Guidelines 2025/26, using Shipston and surrounding areas as a blueprint for future ICS engagement.

“The ICB Board and NHS provider SWFT will now work in partnership to develop a full implementation plan, production and delivery of which will be overseen by the Implementation Board."

Danielle Oum, chair of NHS Coventry and Warwickshire ICB, has also said: “The decision to permanently locate community rehabilitation beds in South Warwickshire across two sites will mean care is close to the majority of patients, whilst also ensuring value for money in our services.

"Since the beds were temporarily relocated in January 2022, we have closely monitored the impact on patients and we know this model works, so we are confident this decision is the right one for South Warwickshire.

“I’d like to thank everyone who participated in the consultation process and assure them we have heard their concerns.

"We recognise there was significant public support for the three site model, especially in Shipston-on-Stour.

"However, as a board we believe that the two site option provides high-quality care while being more affordable, focuses on the places with the most patients needing rehabilitation, and supports how our staff currently work across South Warwickshire.

“Although we will no longer be delivering community bedded rehabilitation from the Ellen Badger site, it is important that we acknowledge the issues identified through the consultation process in how we support rural communities’ access to health and care services.

"To address this, the ICB Board has today committed to ongoing engagement with rural communities to identify gaps in provision and develop services that meet the needs of people living in these areas.”