Plymouth hospital to be expanded so that it can better serve its ageing community
University Hospitals Plymouth (UHP) is partnering up with social care services provider Livewell Southwest to repurpose a hospital into a Centre of Excellence for Rehabilitation and Ageing Well.
The reconfiguration is designed to address an increasing need for specialised care models that support patients in community or home settings, rather than in acute hospitals
The new vision for Mount Gould Hospital in Plymouth is to integrate existing services to create a more efficient, patient-centred care model, while helping to alleviate system pressures on the main Derriford Hospital site. The hope is that it will ensure patients receive the right care and can return home as soon as appropriate.
Changes to the Mount Gould site are expected to take place in three phases across the next 12-18 months. General rehabilitation beds in two wards will be merged into one ward, offering capacity for 24 beds.
The space vacated by the beds in one ward will be used to relocate a stroke rehabilitation service from nearby Wembury, increasing capacity to 15-24 beds and providing specialist neuro-rehabilitation services. It will be situated alongside a rehabilitation gym, providing partnership access for all neuro and stroke rehab patients.
Meanwhile, the space on Wembury vacated by the Stroke Rehabilitation Service will accommodate Male Mental Health Rehabilitation beds with an increased capacity of 15 beds.
University Hospital Plymouth hope that this new model of care will address ongoing capacity issues in both rehabilitation and mental health services, ensuring patients receive the right care, in the right place, without unnecessary delays.
It also supports the growing need for home-first care options, which aim to reduce the demand for inpatient community hospital services. Currently, the NHS trust states that there is a demand for specialist stroke rehabilitation services in its local population and a shortage of specialist mental health beds, with some patients currently placed out of area due to insufficient local capacity.
In the next 10 years, the age of the local population will grow by 20 per cent, driving increased demand for rehabilitation services. The changes will enable us to shift around 1,000 outpatient appointments to the new centre.
In alignment with national healthcare strategies outlined in the Darzi Review and the NHS 10 Year Plan, the Centre is looking to support key shifts in healthcare: moving care from hospitals to communities, advancing digital healthcare, and emphasizing prevention over treatment.
The Centre will also foster greater collaboration among staff across multiple care pathways and integrate physical and mental health services for older people.
University Hospital Plymouth states that its ultimate goal is for 75 per cent of patients to return home following hospital admission with the appropriate support, in line with what patients consistently tell us they want. This initiative is part of our commitment to providing the right care, in the right place, at the right time, based on the health demands of our local population.
Mark Hackett, Interim Chief Executive for University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust, and Michelle Thomas, Chief Executive for Livewell Southwest, said: “The reconfiguration of the bed base on the Mount Gould Hospital site gives us an opportunity to provide specialist beds for the needs of our local population, and create a Centre of Excellence for Rehabilitation and Ageing Well.
“This is an opportunity to make the Mount Gould footprint a major community site for our patients and what will be a hub for future integrated neighbourhood teams.
“Towards the end of last year the Darzi report, followed by the NHS 10 Year Plan, outlined the need for the NHS to deliver on three shifts to be fit for the future: from hospital to community, from analogue to digital, and from sickness to prevention.
“Plymouth needs more mental health bed provision, and these moves will provide more specialist mental health recovery beds to the Mount Gould Hospital site, supporting those already in operation at Syrena House.”
Phase One of the rightsizing of Mount Gould Hospital into a Centre of Excellence for Rehabilitation and Ageing Well will take place later this year.
Earlier this year research commissioned by Stiltz revealed that while the majority of older adults in the UK want to stay in their homes as they age, many feel that the support they need to do so is lacking.
