Palliative care beds are being reinstated in a hospital for end-of-life patients, an NHS trust has said.
In May, Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (NHFT) said six beds at Danetre Hospital in Daventry had been temporarily taken out of use for end-of-life patients due to an “unexpected shortfall in consultant cover”.
The trust said the beds were reassigned for patients in rehabilitation but it was now working on restoring its palliative care service, but did not give a timeframe of when the beds would be available.
NHFT said: “We apologise for any concerns caused by this temporary change to our service at Daventry and thank the local community for their understanding.”
Danetre Hospital was rebuilt in 2006 and includes community beds, therapy services and mental health services.
Stuart Andrew, Daventry MP and Conservative shadow health secretary, met with Itai Matumbike, the chief medical officer at NHFT, and said he was informed an interim consultant was now in place and services would be restored.
Andrew said: “Palliative care is incredibly important for families, and I recognise how essential compassionate, local care is during the most difficult times in people’s lives.
“I was assured that the trust’s strategy is to strengthen community-based care at the hospital, which will help reduce pressure on acute hospitals and improve care closer to home.”