Royal Victoria Hospital ward closure
NHS Tayside is to close a ward for elderly people at Royal Victoria Hospital in Dundee on a phased basis over the next five months, with the loss of 20 beds.
The Royal Victoria.
- By Marjory Inglis, health reporter
- Published in the Courier : 30.03.10
- Published online : 31.03.10 @ 04.01pm
A spokeswoman said meetings will be held over the next few weeks to discuss the details of the ward six closure with staff.
The news comes just a few weeks after Carol Goodman, NHS Tayside's medicine directorate general manager, said there were "no detailed plans to close beds at Royal Victoria Hospital in Dundee."
Ward six at RVH is an assessment ward where patients have access to a team of specialist doctors, nurses, physiotherapists and occupational therapists, all used to dealing with the needs of elderly people.
The spokeswoman said the health authority was embarking on an ambitious programme of modernisation of older people's services across Tayside.
"These plans look at how we can ensure that older people are assessed more quickly and are cared for with all the support they need in the most appropriate environment for their individual needs, " she continued.
"This includes looking at reducing unnecessary admissions and also reducing prolonged lengths of stay for older people in a hospital bed.
"Part of the modernisation programme includes a review of the services provided at both Royal Victoria Hospital and Ninewells to ensure that older people requiring admission to hospital are placed in the correct setting and that we have a range of services to support alternatives to admission where this is appropriate.
"This programme includes a review of ward six at RVH and we will be meeting with staff over the next few weeks to discuss this in detail."
