Recommendations to re-designate Lockhart Hospital in Lanark from an inpatient facility to a community health and social care services base have been formally approved.
The development comes over two years after the decision was taken to withdraw inpatient services from Lockhart Hospital, in July 2016. This original decision was taken as a result of challenges experienced locally, with regards to well-publicised national pressures in identifying sufficient numbers of GPs to fill vacant posts.
Significant positive progress has, and continues, to be made in the area to develop a model of care that is safe, sustainable and, crucially, based on the needs of the people in Clydesdale.
At the meeting of South Lanarkshire Integration Joint Board (IJB) on Tuesday 4 December 2018, the following recommendations were formally approved.
- The re-designation of Lockhart Hospital from an inpatient facility to a Community Health and Social Care Services base
- That South Lanarkshire Health and Social Care Partnership staff continue to work with the local community in designing future care models for health and social care provision across the wider Clydesdale area
- A direction to formally note the change in designation of the hospital, thereby supporting the removal of this from the risk register, be issued to NHS Lanarkshire.
Craig Cunningham, head of commissioning and performance for South Lanarkshire Health and Social Care Partnership said: “A range of new and innovative community services have been introduced in recent times and the Lockhart Hospital building has been made available to community-based voluntary services, extended NHS community rehabilitation services and the Integrated Community Support Team. These developments have been dovetailed with significant stakeholder engagement in the local area.”
“The re-designation to a community health and social care services base will allow South Lanarkshire Health and Social Care Partnership to build on this work – and the many benefits to the health and well-being of people in Clydesdale.”
