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The NHS Coventry and Warwickshire Integrated Care Board (ICB) has this week launched a public consultation into the controversial issue of the future locations of 35 community rehabilitation beds in south Warwickshire.

Two options for the locations of the beds are being consulted on, the first being to distribute the beds across three sites - Ellen Badger Hospital in Shipston-on-Stour, Leamington Spa Hospital, and Stratford Hospital.

The second option, and the one which both the ICB and South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust (SWFT) have indicated they prefer, is to provide all 35 beds at the Leamington and Stratford hospitals leaving Ellen Badger with none.

This is because they believe the second option “provides high-quality, affordable care, focusing on areas with greatest patient need for rehabilitation while supporting the rehabilitation workforce model across South Warwickshire”.

The Ellen Badger Hospital in Shipston-on-Stour. Credit: Google Maps.

In September last year, Warwickshire County Councillors questioned whether the decision is ‘already a done deal’ and were concerned that the NHS is “paying lip service” to the prospect of reintroducing inpatient beds in Shipston ahead of the public consultation.

However, the ICB says it has “made it clear that no decision has been made and that both options are still viable, with the information received as part of this consultation process helping to shape and inform the final decision”, which is expected to be made by the ICB Board by the end of March.

The furore over the future of services at the redeveloped Ellen Badger Hospital, Shipston, has rumbled on for years.

The old facility closed its doors in January 2022 in order to demolish and rebuild parts that were deemed beyond repair.

Community beds for patients needing onward recovery, rehabilitation or who are getting ready for discharge were part of the initial proposals but the 35 beds commissioned for through the South Warwickshire Community Hospital Review are currently catered for in Warwick and Stratford.

NHS trust says it would prefer to keep rehab beds at Leamington and Stratford hospitals while having none at Shipston site

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