Health Bosses Promise A Bright Future For Bridlington Hospital Following Care Unit Reprieve

NHS leaders have committed to improving communication and expanding diagnostic services at Bridlington Hospital after pausing controversial plans to close its care unit.

The recent eleventh-hour postponement of the planned closure of the Bridlington Care Unit has brought the long-term future of Bridlington Hospital into sharp focus.

Health bosses made a late decision to pause the closure of the twenty-eight-bed ward, which was originally scheduled to shut its doors on the first of June. Established in 2021 to help ease pandemic-related pressures at Scarborough Hospital, the unit has served as a vital bridge between hospital and home for patients from Bridlington, Driffield, Hornsea, and Whitby.

The sudden plans to shutter the facility sparked an extensive campaign by local residents and politicians, reflecting deep-seated anxieties about healthcare provision on the Yorkshire Coast. Following immense pressure, the York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust announced a pause to review the decision, promising to strengthen engagement and clearly set out a longer-term vision for healthcare services in the town.

Local representatives have warned that the handling of the care unit has caused significant worry in the community. Local Councillor Jonathan Bibb believes that residents need robust reassurance following the recent closure proposals, noting that promised facilities have yet to materialise.

Local Councillor Jonathan Bibb said:

" I think people have got the impression that this is an erosion of services and a step towards the closure of Bridlington Hospital. It's almost closure by stealth, it just seems that service uh services are steadily going down and down.

And I think we really need to see more investment and for example, uh the ICB did promise a palliative care unit for Bridlington which we haven't seen yet. I think we do need to see something to reassure people that Bridlington Hospital isn't going to be closed."

In response to the public backlash, health chiefs have admitted that their messaging regarding the care unit and the wider hospital strategy fell short. Claire Hansen, Chief Operating Officer at York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, says they have learnt from the communication issues surrounding the plans to close the care unit. She insists that the Trust needs to provide better, clearer information about their future plans for both Bridlington and Scarborough hospitals.

Claire Hansen said:

"Myself and the new chairman, Martin Barkley, and our new Chief Executive, Claire Smith, are really trying to make sure that we communicate the decisions that we're going to have to be making over future years, and also work on the strategy for Bridlington hospital, what that looks like, make that clearer, it's not clear currently, um, clarity around Scarborough hospital and what that looks like. And we need to be able to do that in a much better fashion than we've communicated this one. I absolutely acknowledge that."

Despite the community's fears of a phased reduction in services, health leaders maintain that Bridlington Hospital has a bright, long-term future. The focus is reportedly shifting towards expanding the site's capabilities as a diagnostic hub.

Dr Simon Cox from the Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board sought to dispel rumours of closure. He highlighted the existing infrastructure at the site and outlined the vision for its future role in regional healthcare, ensuring that services will be expanded.

Dr Simon Cox said:

"There are three other wards at Bridlington. There are two operating theatres and an outpatient suite, there is a diagnostic suite. And the information I've got is that actually the trust plans to expand those services, not reduce them.

What we've not been able to do through communication is to give a vision for what the future direction for Bridlington is, which is probably not a semi-care home sort of facility, but actually a an elective diagnostic centre.

And I know that the health forum and others have been frustrated at the pace of change. But we are committed as an NHS in terms of a bright future for Bridlington.

At no point have we ever talked about some phased reduction in Bridlington. What we've been trying to explore is how we use the site as effectively as possible."

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