Philip Dunne raises his concerns with the Health Minister regarding the temporary closure of Bishop's Castle Community Hospital due to lack of qualified nursing staff. He calls on Shropshire NHS to immediately develop a solid plan to deliver sufficient qualified staff to get the hospital reopened as soon as possible.
Philip Dunne (Ludlow) (Con)
The elective procedure backlog requires appropriate capacity for recovery and rehabilitation, much of which is provided by community hospitals, especially in rural areas. Is the Minister aware that on Friday, NHS Shropshire announced the imminent closure of Bishop’s Castle Community Hospital for patient safety reasons due to a lack of qualified nursing staff? Will he work with me to put pressure on the local NHS to develop a plan to recruit suitably qualified nurses and reopen the hospital as soon as possible?
Mr Speaker
On elective surgery.
Edward Argar (The Minister for Health)
In the context of elective surgery recovery, my right hon. Friend makes an important point about the role that community hospitals play in helping to drive down waiting lists. I am grateful to him for drawing that to my attention and I will look into the specific situation he raised. It is important that, alongside providing a service, it is a safe service. I am happy to work with him to see what can be done in that situation.