The future of a care home which operates as a stepdown facility for patients leaving Warrington Hospital is in doubt – with the possibility services could be moved elsewhere.
Warrington Borough Council and NHS Warrington Clinical Commissioning Group have launched a consultation on the ‘development of intermediate care services’ in the town. This includes ‘looking at the future provision of beds at Padgate House’. Padgate House is considered to be not fit for purpose with narrow corridors and a lack of en-suite facilites. Part of the consultation would be whether the service could be moved to Bewsey Old School. The future of the service is not under threat – just the current facilities. The service helps residents to ‘recover, regain independence and remain at home’ and is also used by those recovering from a fall, accident, illness or operation or to ensure they do not need to go to hospital unnecessarily.
Cllr Rebecca Knowles, WBC’s executive board member for statutory health and adult social care, said: “Intermediate care services are vital in supporting people to remain at home safely and ensuring efficient discharge from hospital. A focus on rehabilitation and recovery for people, particularly when they have had a stay in hospital or are in a crisis at home, helps them to live as independently as possible with the right care and support for daily living. Last year, we launched a project to redesign our intermediate care services in Warrington – including both community-based and bed-based care. So far we have undertaken a range of modelling and engagement work which has identified that our current bed-based care provision, particularly at Padgate House, does not provide the ideal model to deliver optimal intermediate care. We don’t have en-suite bathrooms for patients, corridors and doorways are narrow – making the movement of equipment and people in wheelchairs more difficult – and there isn’t enough space for visitors. We therefore need to consider the future of Padgate House in light of these challenges. We are now at a stage where we need to consult with the public on the options for the future.”
Article originally appeared on Warrington Guardian.
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