What are Community Beds?

Community Beds are beds in community hospitals and care homes that were previously administered by the NHS through the local Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) but are now to be administered by the Integrated Care Partnership (the new umbrella organisation for the NHS and Adult Social Services).

They provide a variety of care, including step down from RSCH, continuing care, social care nursing, end of life and dementia care.

Giles Mahoney, Director of Guildford and Waverley Integrated Care Partnership (ICP), has emphasised that the Community Beds in Cranleigh will be prioritised for those patients living in Cranleigh and the surrounding villages as this is the most logical use of the Beds, to ensure patients are close to loved ones and their support network which is critical in recovery from illness.

This was the same approach applied to the old Village Hospital in-patient beds where local Doctors allocated the beds at that time.

There were no restrictions on who could enter those beds and, occasionally, patients were admitted from out of the area if there was a vacant bed and no immediate demand from the village or local area.

Admission to the Community Beds will be administered by the ICP under a legal agreement, which the ICP will only enter into once Planning Consent has been given and a date for completion of the building is known.