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| Bury Free Press, 4 June 2004 |
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| THE closure of a hospital ward, which cares for elderly patients, has sparked an outcry from a leading MP. |
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| Health bosses at West Suffolk Hospital agreed last Friday to phase out the |
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| 33-bed G6 ward over the next three months. |
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| They claim there is no longer a need to have so many beds and want to move towards a more community-led care system. |
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| But the decision has been greeted with bemusement by MP David Ruffley, who has questioned the sense behind the move. |
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| A study two years ago showed Suffolk as having the sixth worst figure in the country for bed-blocking. |
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| And Mr Ruffley, who is the MP for Bury and Stowmarket, has warned that the move to close so many beds could end in disaster. |
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| "I thought the idea of ploughing so much money and resources into the NHS was to increase capacity, not reduce it," he said. |
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| "We want to know that there is the care and provision – and enough of it – to look after the elderly and infirm in our community. |
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| "It appears to me that the hospital is tackling the problem from the wrong angle – you don't solve |
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| bed-blocking by cutting beds. |
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"I am not accusing the hospital of being stupid, but it does seem to be a case of simple arithmetic and I fear it could end in disaster."
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| The proposal to close the ward was put forward after several reviews identified the hospital as having too many patients in rehabilitation beds. |
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| It is now expected that G6 will be gradually phased out and its services re-located to the Integrated Care Unit in G8. |
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| A hospital spokesman said the new approach would see more patients treated at home or in care homes. |
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| "The advantage for the patient is that they will |
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| not get stuck in a bed |
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| and institutionalised for a long period of time," he said. |
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| "The system for treating delayed transfers of care is now coping a lot better and will mean more people can be treated outside the hospital. |
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| "This will mean they can be cared for at home or in community settings while allowing them to have |
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| the independence they deserve." |
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