A LIMIT on beds at a cottage hospital in the region is set to continue – after more developments around staffing.
Long-term sickness at Newton Stewart Cottage Hospital saw a decision made in May to limit bed numbers to 14 – and since that point we have been able to accommodate anyone who has required a bed.
General Manager of Community Health and Social Care Graham Abrines said: “In order to ensure the safety of patients and staff, a decision was made in May to limit bed numbers from 22 to 14 and we moved quickly to recruit staff to post.
“We were successful in recruiting new nurses at a point when newly-qualified staff were becoming available, and we had been preparing to lift the cap on beds in September.
“Since then, however, other vacancies have arisen for Registered Nurses at Galloway Community Hospital in Wigtownshire which those staff have pursued and taken up.
“So while we very much welcome that staff have chosen to continue to work within Wigtownshire in other busy, demanding frontline roles, we are unfortunately not able to lift the bed limit at the cottage hospital at this time.”
An update was delivered to Dumfries and Galloway Health and Social Care’s senior management team this month.
And a decision has been made to continue the cap on bed numbers at Newton Stewart.
The situation is being considered, and the Health and Social Care senior management team will be updated within the next three months.
