HEALTH chiefs have told a packed meeting of nearly 300 people that a crisis in the recruitment of nurses had forced a major change at Ludlow Hospital.

Jan Ditheridge, chief executive of the Shropshire Community NHS Trust, told an angry crowd at Ludlow Methodist Church that the move was in the interest of patient and staff safety.

She said that the hospital was short of eight nurses and that is why male and female patients had been brought together on one floor.

“We are not closing the ward but moving a group of patients downstairs so we can sort our staffing out,” she said.

“This is being done in the interest of the safety of our patients and staff and that has to be our priority.”

But Ms Ditheridge said that the move was not necessarily permanent and there was cause for optimism about the future of Ludlow Hospital as a potential Urgent Care Centre although this would be a decision for others.

“I cannot see a position where Ludlow Hospital is not integral to care in this area,” she added.

“Ludlow has the flexibility and it is not just about beds.”

The trust’s chief executive said that Ludlow Hospital’s advantages included having a maternity unit, a kidney dialysis unit and space to bring in other services.

She said more people are now being treated at home and those that go into hospital are staying for a shorter time.

The average time for a stay in Ludlow Hospital had been reduced from 25 days to 15 days and this meant that the same number of patients can be treated with fewer beds.

At the end of the meeting there was an almost unanimous resolution calling for the reversal of the closure of the Stretton ward.