Bosses at University Hospital of Morecambe Bay NHS Trust to close Royal Lancaster Infirmary ward
The NHS trust which runs the Royal Lancaster Infirmary is facing a ‘significant’ financial challenge and wants to close a hospital ward and create more ‘virtual beds’ in patient’s homes.
University Hospital of Morecambe Bay NHS Trust have said that currently 170 patients are in hospital who ‘do not meet criteria to reside’.
Measures they are taking to save money include closing a ward which currently looks after people who they say could go home with the right support and increasing the use of ‘virtual wards’ where patients stay at home but are regularly monitored by doctors at the hospital.
A spokesman for UHMBT said: “Like other NHS providers in Lancashire and South Cumbria, we are facing a significant financial challenge.
"If we do nothing different, we won’t have the financial resources to see out the rest of this financial year.
“The changes we are making include closing Ward 23 at the Royal Lancaster Infirmary (24 beds) – a recent rehabilitation ward that is occupied by patients who do not meet the criteria to reside and whose care will be better served out of a hospital environment.
"This will be saving £443,000 in 2025/26.
“Virtual Wards, or ’hospital at home’, allow patients to receive hospital-level care in their own homes, using technology like apps, wearables (blood pressure/oxygen monitors), and remote monitoring to keep a multidisciplinary health team updated on their vital signs and recovery.
“We are working to increase the number of Virtual Ward beds by 25 – reaching a total of 73 beds by March 2026.
"Patient safety remains our top priority and we will closely monitor the impact and reopen beds should patient or colleague safety be compromised.
“These decisions are incredibly difficult, but they are essential to protect the long-term sustainability of local NHS services.”
Morecambe and Lunesdale MP Lizzi Collinge met Health Minister Karin Smyth to discuss ongoing financial difficulties at the hospital trust.
Miss Collinge said: “My constituents are understandably concerned about recent announcements by UHMBT about their financial deficit and measures being taken to tackle it.
“It’s a fact that too many people are kept in hospital when they could go home with the right support package, so this has to be a focus of the NHS alongside local councils.
"I will, of course, continue to engage closely with the Trust and keep a careful watch on developments as they progress.”