A COUNCIL funding bid to keep in-patient rehabilitation beds at Frenchay Hospital until the new Health and Social Care centre opens in 2016 has failed.
Acute services are due to transfer next May from Frenchay to Southmead Hospital under the 2005 Bristol Health Services Plan.
Local health bosses in the South Gloucestershire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) had been considering how inpatient rehabilitation beds are provided between the existing Frenchay Hospital closing and Frenchay’s new Health and Social Care centre opening in 2016.
Converting existing ward blocks at Southmead or Frenchay had been the two options considered.
But the Frenchay option was deemed too expensive by the NHS, which estimated it would cost an extra £2.4million a year.
At a meeting of the public health & health scrutiny committee yesterday, Conservative members proposed that the authority fund the £2.4million difference in order to keep the beds at Frenchay, but the plan was defeated by a majority of councillors.
The move sparked concerns from those who had championed the motion.
Cllr Sarah Pomfret (Con, Bradley Stoke Central & Stoke Lodge), Conservative lead member on the council’s public health & health scrutiny committee said: “We are really concerned that in-patient rehabilitation beds are to move from Frenchay to Southmead."
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