Hospital plans clear hurdle

Hospital bosses in Wells have cleared a major hurdle in their ambitions to restore inpatient beds to the town as part of a �2.9m community healthcare hub.

Hospital bosses in Wells have cleared a major hurdle in their ambitions to restore inpatient beds to the town as part of a �2.9m community healthcare hub.

Outline ideas have been drafted for a care complex - including NHS beds and a broad range of new health facilities - on and around the site of Wells Community Hospital.

The bold vision won an enthusiastic endorsement from members of the NHS Norfolk primary care trust board on Tuesday, which opened the door for a more detailed business case to be explored.

The decision is a significant step forward for the hospital's ambitions to improve services and complete the resurgence which began after its wards were closed with the loss of 12 beds in 2004.

It reopened as a community venture in 2006 after a spirited public campaign and is now home to a range of independent and NHS outpatient clinics.

But Dr Peter Russell, chairman of the hospital's board of directors, said the support of the PCT was vital to achieve the long-term dream of bringing community beds back to Wells.

He said: “It is the first step, but it is a significant move forward. NHS Norfolk has given us the support to continue in the way we want to continue. There would be no future to these plans without that support.”

Read about the full plans in tomorrow's Fakenham and Wells Times.