'Community hospitals are key to aid care crisis'

Retired consultant urges health board to rethink plans

- By RICHARD EVANS

A RETIRED hospital consultant has urged the North Wales health board to stop closing community hospitals.

Jonathan Osborne, FRCS, a former ear, nose, and throat surgeon at Ysbyty Glan Clwyd, says Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCUHB) needs to consider reopening community hospitals.

In recent weeks the retired consultant has repeatedly aimed criticism at the health board, raising fears about the state of its A&E departments.

Mr Osborne says people are dying needlessly because they are not getting prompt care, with seriously ill people facing long waits in uncomfortable chairs or lying on corridor floors.

Now the consultant, who has started a Facebook campaign, says the answer to North Wales’ health crisis is to stop closing and reopening community hospitals.

"This course to chaos can be changed, and there are solutions open to the health board.

"One obvious solution is to stop closing community hospital beds and implement a programme to increase their number to provide step-down rehabilitation care," Mr Osborne said.

He added: "These beds are more cost effective than acute hospital beds and, when supported by local teams of physiotherapists, occupational therapists, and social workers, can support patients safely out of expensive acute care in a more timely fashion."

Mr Osborne said at any give time "350 patients across North Wales are medically fit for discharge but languish on wards" because they need further rehabilitation to manage alone at home.

"The use of community beds would prevent loss of independence and institutionalisation and would free up hospital beds to relieve the backlog of patients waiting in A&E and outside in ambulances," he said.