Knighton and East Radnor Community Focus - Issue 5
This bulletin keeps you updated on the development of NHS services in Knighton and East Radnorshire including Knighton Community Hospital.
The four ‘reablement’ rooms at Knighton hospital’s Panpwnton Ward have now been in place for more than six months and are working well for the people of the area.
This temporary arrangement has been put in place while the health board deals with the challenge of recruiting inpatient nursing staff to the hospital – a challenge faced by most health authorities, particularly those in rural areas, throughout the UK.
The four rooms – one of which has two beds to allow for a family member/carer to stay with a patient – are being used by reablement patients from the Knighton area, that is, those who no longer need District General Hospital care but still need support before returning home. These beds are being managed by our experienced residential care team and, if required, supported by clinical colleagues including nurses and allied health professionals. With this plan, more people will receive care in their local community, reducing the need for family, friends and carers to travel to district general hospitals or other community hospitals.
Christina Creemer is the Residential Care Manager of Cottage View – the health board’s residential home which is part of the hospital campus.
She explained: “We have had 10 reablement residents stay with us since we started in the summer and it’s working well.”
Chris explained: “It’s really nice to see new faces coming into the building and the temporary reablement residents mix with our long-term residents of Cottage View for the activities and meals, which everyone seems to enjoy.”
Michael is a patient from the Knighton area who has stayed in one of the reablement rooms for some four weeks after previously receiving care in hospitals in Hereford, Llandrindod Wells, Brecon and Merthyr Tydfil. He praised the reablement arrangements: “It’s now so much easier for my friends and family to visit here before I go home.”
David Farnsworth, Powys Teaching Health Board’s Assistant Director of Community Services commented: “Over the coming weeks you may well see colleagues with tape measures within the hospital as we work to increase the number of outpatient clinics we can provide there.”
He cited an example of this as a recent visit by the Public Health Wales diabetic retinopathy eye screening team.
“And I’m delighted to say that the Knighton Hospital League of Friends has generously provided funding for the redevelopment of the hospital garden area. We are currently discussing this with contractors and hope to have the work completed in the Spring,” said David.