As you may know, there has been much discussion in the local press about stations closing at the Hospital and an apparent reduction in the number of beds. I wish to provide further context and clarity to these reports.
In response to the Covid-19 Pandemic, NHS Ayrshire & Arran and the three health and social care partnerships in East, North and South Ayrshire responded to the demand for bed-based care by adding temporary beds to the operating model. Now that COVID is a more sustained part of operations the legacy of temporary wards needs to close. There are now 7 temporary wards in acute hospitals plus a temporary ward in the community hospital that cannot be staffed safely or consistently.
Core staff have worked hard to cover these additional wards, but teams are overstretched and exhausted and, as a result, internal efficiency has been compromised.
Closing these unfunded wards has been an ambition since March 2022. Closing wards that should not be in the system will improve hospital site safety by ensuring better staffing numbers and providing better clinical team member ratios to patients.
Please be assured that NHS Ayrshire and Arran will continue to communicate directly with all staff working in additional wards. The staff vacancy rates mean there are jobs for all staff.
I take assurance from NHS Ayrshire and Arran’s strategy and will continue to work closely with them. I will be receiving a further update in the coming weeks.