PLANS FOR PUBLIC CONSULTATION ON SOUTH WARWICKSHIRE COMMUNITY REHABILITATION BEDS TO GO TO ICB BOARD ON 6TH JANUARY
20 December 2024
NHS Coventry and Warwickshire Integrated Care Board (ICB) have today confirmed that they will be seeking approval from the ICB Board to go to public consultation over the future locations of 35 community rehabilitation beds in South Warwickshire.
The confirmation comes after NHS England (NHSE) wrote to the ICB confirming they are assured that the proposals in the pre-consultation business case meet the five tests for service change as well as other good practice checks and they are content for the ICB to proceed to consultation.
The plans for the public consultation will now go to an extraordinary meeting of the ICB Board on 6th January, where they will be asked to formally approve the launch of the public consultation on the proposed options for the location of community rehabilitation beds in South Warwickshire.
Should the ICB Board approve the proposal, the public consultation would launch the same day, Monday 6th January, and run for 6 weeks until Friday 14th February.
The papers for the meeting on 6th January, which will contain the full pre-consultation business case, will be published on the ICB’s website on 30th December.
During the development of the ICB’s pre-consultation business case, a process was conducted to determine the viable options on which to consult. This process concluded there were two possible options for the locations of the beds.
The first, referred to as Option A, would see the 35 beds be split across three sites: Ellen Badger Hospital in Shipston-On-Stour, Leamington Spa Hospital, and Stratford Hospital. This would reduce the number of beds currently at Stratford Hospital and Leamington Spa Hospital and return up to 12 beds to the Ellen Badger site.
The second, referred to as Option B, would see the beds remain as they currently are, split between Leamington Spa Hospital and Stratford Hospital, but no beds would return to Ellen Badger Hospital.
Both options have been developed with input from members of the public, patients, and stakeholders to ensure they reflect the priorities and needs of our communities. They have been informed using data and evidence-based processes, and with the impact on our staff and our finances in mind.
Should the consultation receive approval, people will be able to participate in the consultation via a survey, by attending a consultation event, or by making a written submission.
The consultation events will be a mix of in-person and online events to ensure as many people as possible are able to participate, with the in-person events taking place at different locations across South Warwickshire.
Further details on the various ways people can participate will be released at the start of the consultation process.
The ICB will also be creating a dedicated section on their website with all the information regarding the public consultation, including the consultation document, details on how to participate in the consultation, and a list of frequently asked questions.