29 March 2018
Aberdeenshire Health and Social Care Partnership to review services at Ugie Hospital
As part of a drive to deliver, better, more holistic, patient centred services across Aberdeenshire, the Aberdeenshire Health and Social Care Partnership (AHSCP) is review the services delivered from Ugie Hospital in Peterhead.
Ugie Hospital was built in 1907 as the infectious diseases hospital for Peterhead and the surrounding area. Throughout its history it has had various functions and currently provides 14 inpatient beds on the Ravenscraig Ward. These beds are used for patients who have been discharged from Aberdeen Hospitals but who require further rehabilitation prior to returning home.
Since the formation of the Aberdeenshire Health and Social Care Partnership (AHSCP) in 2016 much has changed and improved in how health and social care services are delivered across communities in Aberdeenshire. Through joint working and innovative practices, such as Virtual Community Wards, the AHSCP has seen an increase in the number of patients who are able to be cared for in their own homes and within their own communities.
There are currently five options that are being considered for Ugie Hospital and we would like to invite the community to come to an information event where all of the options that have been identified will be looked at, questions answered, and feedback gathered.
Tuesday 17th April 2018
3 – 7pm
Rescue Hall Peterhead
Chair of the Integration Joint Board, Cllr Anne Stirling said, “This is an opportunity for the community to get involved in the decisions about where and how local services are provided in the future and I would urge everyone to come along and find out more. It is great to see partnership working in action with more people being cared for at home where they really want to be meaning that we have an opportunity to ensure that more services are provided closer to home.”
Vice Chair, Dr. Lynda Lynch, said: “Ugie Hospital is in need of substantial investment to bring it into the 21st Century, and this review is a great opportunity to look at and question whether there are better ways to deliver the services that have been traditionally delivered at Ugie.”
-ENDS-
Notes to editors:
There are some out-patient services which operate from the Hospital site:
• Podiatry (chiropody) clinic, 4 and a half days per week.
• Leg ulcer dressing clinic (half a day per week)
• Old age psychiatry (community psychiatric nurses have an office here, and visiting specialists from Aberdeen have a clinic here once per week)
(This review is primarily focussing on the in-patient services but will take into account any knock-on impact of any future decisions)
Options being considered:
Option 1: Investment and Modernisation
This option would be costly and would have to be considered as a long-term option. Funding would have to be identified.
This would also mean that inpatient beds would continue to be split across two sites, with patients at Ugie not having easy access to services such as x-ray.
Consideration would have to be given as to whether Ugie is in the right location and provides easy access to the whole of the area.
Option 2: Use capacity at other local hospitals
Both Peterhead Community Hospital and Fraserburgh Hospital could potentially provide additional inpatient beds.
All inpatient services would be on one site, with access to the same services (x-ray etc.)
It would be easier to address any staffing issues should they arise.
Option 3: Enhanced community-based rehabilitation services
Patients could return home from Aberdeen Hospitals with rehabilitation services being delivered to them at home (Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy etc.)
Some patients will still require inpatient care.
Option 4: Provide rehabilitation beds in local Care Homes
In some areas of the country which do not have the same access to community hospitals there are contracts with care homes to provide rehabilitation facilities, often called “intermediate care beds”. This is different from simply moving to a care home as it’s for a limited period of time and still has treatment from therapists. This has been a successful option where it has been used.
It may offer inpatient facilities closer to home for some patients not from Peterhead.
There would have to be a review of availability of beds in Care Homes.
Option 5: Create inpatient beds at the future North Care & Support Village
This is a long-term project and would not address the current need for refurbishment at Ugie.
Inpatient beds would still be split across two sites.
Would require significant Capital investment from the NHS