Bishops Castle’s MP, Philip Dunne, has welcomed a decision to continue recruitment efforts in a bid to ensure Bishops Castle hospital beds can reopen.  

At a meeting in Bishops Castle yesterday (7th September), directors from Shropshire Community Health NHS Trust decided that recruitment efforts to fill nursing vacancies art the Hospital made over the past year had not been sufficient.  

The Hospital has 16 in-patient beds, which closed in October 2021 on safety grounds due to an over-reliance on agency staff.  

Mr Dunne said:

“The strength of local feeling in Bishops Castle on this issue has been clear for all to see. 

“I am pleased ShropCom’s board has chosen to look again at further recruitment efforts, to ensure that all avenues to keeping these beds open is explored.  

“I have been engaging with ShropCom, the ICB, and local GPs and patient groups to push for any viable solution. So I stand ready to do whatever I can to support these recruitment efforts, and hope we can recruit sufficient staff to reopen the 16 beds at Bishops Castle Community Hospital as soon as possible.”