A major question mark was hanging over the long-term future of an Angus hospital.
Plans to reshape health services and models of care in south Angus look almost certain to sound the death knell for Arbroath’s Little Cairnie Hospital.
Staff broke ranks following a meeting with senior NHS Tayside managers on Monday and said they have been told the facility will close within weeks.
It is understood there are only four patients left in the hospital and staff say they are not accepting any more admissions.
Last night, as part of a lengthy statement, Bill Nicoll, director of primary and community services for NHS Tayside, said there has been “no decision” to close Little Cairnie.
But he admitted that staff would be redeployed from the hospital if there came a time when there were no in-patients in the ward and no one waiting to be admitted.
There has been a cloud of uncertainty hanging over the hospital for years and it looked certain to close in 2013 following a review of medical services in the south Angus area by NHS Tayside.
Any closure would affect around 30 nurses and four domestic staff who work at the hospital.
A member of the nursing staff, speaking confidentially, said the patients who are undergoing palliative care would be moved within days and that the hospital would close shortly after that.
The staff member said: “Little Cairnie is closing. We hardly have any patients and they are not going to be putting more people into the hospital.
“They are looking to move the four patients by the end of this week.
“They are talking about it taking 90 days to sort it out but if there are no patients then they won’t keep the staff on here.”
The capacity of the hospital has reduced in recent years from four wards to two, and then one with just a dozen beds.
NHS Tayside said it is embarking on a series of engagement events with staff and members of the communities of south Angus to help shape the future model of care for older people in the area.
Mr Nicoll said: “We have just started a series of engagement events with staff in the south Angus locality, which includes Little Cairnie, Arbroath Infirmary and community healthcare.
“These events are to involve staff in plans to reshape health services and models of care in south Angus to ensure they meet the health and care demands of the local communities into the future.
“The way in which care is delivered for older people in our communities and in our hospitals is changing.
“Older people and their families always tell us they want to be supported to live in their own homes as independently as possible for as long as possible, and if they have to come into hospital then they can return to their home or a homely setting as soon as they are able. Of course, they also want to know that there is a hospital bed there if they need it.”
He said the new community-based model involves a variety of professionals including GPs, district nurses, occupational therapists and physiotherapists, pharmacists and specialist hospital doctors working together as a single team to support individual patients.
The team aims to provide care and support in the patient’s own home and, where possible, avoid hospital admission.
He said this community-based team approach to care, which is called Enhanced Community Support, is already running successfully in Carnoustie, Monifieth and Broughty Ferry.
Mr Nicoll added: “Therefore, we have evidence that this model of care for older people means that there are fewer inpatient admissions, fewer delayed discharges and, as a result, fewer hospital beds are required.
“However, the model also brings with it many new opportunities for healthcare staff to work in a different way and this is what we are currently exploring in partnership with our staff in south Angus.
“Alongside this discussion around the new community model, there is also investment going into Arbroath Infirmary to improve the delivery of palliative care and older people’s care ensuring Arbroath patients and their families can access the highest standards of care and treatment.
“There has been no decision to close Little Cairnie and we are continuing to care for patients there.
“If there comes a situation where, on a particular day, we had no inpatients in the ward and no one waiting to be admitted we would sensibly redeploy our staff in line with the clinical need and care requirements of our patients in the south Angus locality.
“This is part of the day-to-day management of all our units across Tayside to ensure person-centred, safe and effective care for everyone.
“We will continue with our staff engagement over the coming weeks and months in south Angus.
“We are also establishing a South Angus Participation Group which will meet next week and we are planning a wider engagement with the communities in and around Arbroath in the near future.”
Photo by Angus Pictures