Rothbury care facility to increase access with the creation of new en-suite rooms

The facility opened in January after Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust formed a health and care partnership with Rothbury Cottage Care Ltd (part of People First Care).

The partnership, which is the first of its kind, transformed the inpatient ward of Rothbury Community Hospital into a homely residential care home with the provision of flexible NHS community hospital care.

To date, 31 people have accessed the home and 13 have received NHS care.

Six months on from the opening, work to increase the number of en-suite rooms from 12 to 14 is to begin next week and will take around five weeks to complete.

Marion Dickson, executive director of nursing, midwifery and allied health professionals for Northumbria Healthcare, said: “We are delighted to be able to increase the number of people that can access our facility.

"Feedback so far, from patients, residents, families and staff from all partners, has been very positive. The main theme being around the benefits of people being able to access the care they need in their local community and close to their loved ones.

“We have learnt a lot over the last six months and will use this learning to improve the model of care if we need to.

"I would like to thank all those who have made this model a reality and for their hard work, determination and flexibility.

"It is currently a unique model and has required people to think a bit differently and approach things differently. I also want to thank all stakeholders and members of the community for their support and openness over the last few years. This has been very much appreciated.”

The new en-suite rooms will be located where the lounge currently is and the day room will become the new lounge. A new dry goods store will also be installed.

Nigel Dawson, director of Rothbury Cottage Care Ltd, said: "We are really pleased about how our partnership is working and increasing the number of beds is testament to this. It also reflects the benefits of integrating peoples’ care. It is great to be able to keep people in their local community, close to family and friends.

“I would like to thank the local community for the support given to us and to all colleagues involved who are making such a difference to people’s lives.”

The flexible NHS bed provision is available for patients who need longer-term recuperation and rehabilitation and end-of-life care. A team of district nurses, GPs and nurse practitioners provide clinical support alongside healthcare currently delivered in the community and in people’s homes.

A detailed review of the NHS provision has been done and will be shared with stakeholders. This includes the number of admissions to health beds, reason for admission, length of stay, if patients are unable to access the health beds, including their reason for needing admission, and feedback from staff and patients. This information will inform if any changes need to be made.