Health bosses have supported a recommendation to permanently close a hospital ward in East Yorkshire.
The Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board announced in April that it would shut Bridlington Care Unit (BCU) in June, which looks after people after they receive medical treatment.
York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said it would consider feedback, but has now confirmed the unit will close and it will move to a “community-based” model of care.
Chief Executive Clare Smith said: “This decision was not taken lightly, and we recognise the strength of feeling in Bridlington, not just about the care unit but about the hospital’s future more broadly.”
At the end of May, the Trust said it would review plans to close the ward, following concerns raised by East Riding of Yorkshire Council, along with feedback from patients, staff and residents.
Smith added: “The Board has supported the recommendation because patients who no longer need acute hospital treatment should, wherever it is safe and clinically appropriate, be supported to return home as soon as possible and with the right package of care around them.
“Most patients are already discharged from our hospitals with the appropriate support in place, and we will continue to work closely with community and social care providers to ensure that those who may have been admitted to the BCU whilst waiting for these arrangements to be made can be safely discharged with the support they need.”
The Trust said the decision did not affect the future of the wider hospital site.