Plans for more beds at Wisbech hospital
More palliative care beds could be created at North Cambridgeshire Hospital in a bid to make more of the Wisbech site.
The Wisbech Local Commissioning Group is looking to make more of the popular town hospital along with creating community based palliative care service.
Currently, there are three palliative care beds on the Trafford Ward, which is a rehabilitation unit at the hospital, while The Macmillan and Hudson Palliative Care Centre has a high demand for its outpatient or day care facilities.
But the commissioners are hoping to increase the number of beds within the hospital.
Chris Humphris, chief officer for the Isle of Ely and Wisbech commissioning groups, said: “We have three beds at the hospital site and we are looking to increase that, but not largely.
“We want to develop community based services.
“Often people’s preference at where they would like to die is at home but at the last stages they can find that is not possible and end up in an acute hospital.
“There is real enthusiasm for the hospital. Every time we have a public meeting in Wisbech there are always calls to develop the local community hospital.”
The group is also holding talks with Uniting Care, which now runs the hospital, along with Arthur Rank Hospice, in Cambridge, to improve the services on offer in the town.
Mr Humphris gave a presentation to last week’s governing body meeting of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Commissioning Group, which was held at the Boathouse in Wisbech.
He said: “We are determined to further develop the services at the North Cambs Hospital site.”
Earlier this year, Cambridgeshire Community Services (CCS) gave notice to the CCG of its intention to pull out of the outpatients services in Doddington and North Cambridgeshire Hospitals.
The CCS employed some support staff at the North Cambs Hospital which are now being transferred into the employment of QEH.
Last week’s governing body meeting was also told that Wisbech has high levels of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
