Video: Warwickshire MP presents petition to parliament demanding the return of inpatient beds to hospital

Earlier this week, Warwickshire World reported that 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 petition calls on the House of Commons to urge the Government to support the reinstatement of inpatient beds at Ellen Badger Hospital, ‘which has been a cornerstone of healthcare in Shipston for more than a century’.

Addressing Parliament Manuela, the Liberal Democrat MP for Stratford-upon-Avon, said: “This petition reflects the depth of feeling of a rural

community that has seen their health services stripped to the bone and is fearful for the future of their hospital.

”Rural communities deserve the same access to healthcare as our towns and cities.

"The Coventry and Warwickshire ICB must hear this loud and clear: our rural communities must not be left behind.”

The consultation remains open until February 14, giving the public an opportunity to participate through surveys, written submissions, or by attending consultation events.

Full details of the consultation are available online at happyhealthylives.uk

Manuela added: “We cannot accept a future where rural areas are treated as an afterthought.

"When rural healthcare is sidelined, it creates ripple effects that hurts families, increases travel times for vulnerable patients, and strains already limited resources.”