A WARD of 30 beds at Witney Community Hospital will shut for seven months to send staff elsewhere in the county and save money, it was announced yesterday.

Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust is consulting hospital staff over plans to close the Wenrisc ward from September 1 to March 31, 2016, so it can re-open 24 beds at other community hospitals.

The trust say the move would save £600,000, but town officials are worried about the ward’s long-term future.

Oxford Health spokeswoman Sarah Ayubb said: “In a difficult financial environment, the trust is faced with a major challenge to safely staff the beds across our eight community hospitals.

“This will achieve a more balanced service overall, with appropriate levels of trained staff working across the county. We will continue to meet our contractual requirements and continue to provide the full range in inpatient services at Witney Community Hospital.”

The trust added the move would reduce the use of agency staff and help find beds for patients closer to where they live. It would also see staff from Witney redeployed to other areas, such as Abingdon.

The trust said it would try to care for elderly people more in their homes and was in the process of developing plans to do so.

Witney south and central councillor for Oxfordshire County Council Laura Price, who sits on the health overview and scrutiny committee, said: “Is it a cost saving thing, as they are struggling to recruit and have too many agency staff? Or is it for social care transformation, with more care at people’s homes? There is a need for people, especially the elderly, to not be stuck in hospitals.

“What is going to happen in seven months? Will the ward be open again and all the services come back? If so then they haven’t really transformed social care. But if it’s a trial period and they close the ward then they haven’t been open and honest.”

Mayor of Witney Jim King said: “I can understand the logic behind wanting to cost save in other areas and the high cost of agency staff. My major reservation is will they re-open it? I’d like to have that in writing.”

The chief executive of patient group Oxford Healthwatch, Rachel Coney, said: “It’s very worrying that they cannot employ enough staff to keep beds open. Overall though I welcome the fact that they’re trying to reduce the number of agency staff – they are expensive and patients have said in the past that permanent staff are always better than agency staff.

“We’re not worried about permanent closure. But if they don’t get staff sorted then another smaller community hospital could be under threat.”

A meeting of the county council’s health overview and scrutiny committee will meet at County Hall, Oxford, on September 17 at 10am to discuss the closure of the Wenrisc ward. The public are welcome to attend.