Blogs

"Listening to accounts of the work of the hospital showed us that this was a community hospital with a strong team spirit, where the impact of collaborative working was showing in the efficient service to patients."

Helen Tucker and Chris Humphris visited Newmarket Community Hospital, part of West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust, to learn about its services and plans for the future. They found a calm, welcoming hospital with a strong team spirit and close working between health and social care.

The 33-bed ward, now renamed a short stay assessment unit, has kept an average length of stay of 11 days for the past 18 months, against a national average of 24 days. The site also offers outpatient clinics, a mental health hub and a community diagnostic centre. Volunteers, the “My Wish” charity and the local racing community all support the hospital, including a yearly visit from a racehorse.

"Our community hospitals have witnessed first breaths and final goodbyes, nursed generations through illness and, in some cases, kept alive the memory of men who never returned from war" writes Kirstie Waterston in a new Press and Journal feature on six hospitals in Aboyne, Banff, Huntly, Insch, Inverurie and Torphins. Many were funded through local donations long before the NHS existed. Two of them, at Insch and Torphins were built as memorials to local men lost in the First World War, giving their families somewhere to be cared for close to home.

The article also traces the campaigns local people have fought to protect their services, including a protester who walked 50 miles from Banff to Aberdeen and the long fight to keep rural maternity units open. For Insch, the story takes a sad turn, with the hospital declared surplus to requirements this month.

This paper is written by Alex Neil, Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Health from 2012 to 2014, Dr Richard Simpson OBE, former shadow Public Health Minister, and Dr Alastair Noble MBE, GP and CHA's Scotland lead. Published via the Enlighten think tank, it sets out a case for cross-party agreement on the future of Scotland's health and social care system, arguing that lasting reform needs to survive changes of government. The paper covers proposals including 24/7 community-based care, closer integration between health and social care, wider use of technology, and changes to NHS governance and funding structures. It reflects the views of its authors rather than CHA policy.

In this piece, Dr Alastair Noble MBE, GP sets out his thinking behind the Nairn Model, the integrated approach to community care he has helped develop in Nairnshire. Built around Nairn Town and County Community Hospital, the model puts the patient at the centre, with GPs and consultants working together to decide who benefits from specialist care and who is better supported by a local, integrated community team. Dr Noble draws on his experience in Nairn to argue for devolved decision-making, fair-share local budgets, and stronger continuity of care. The piece reflects his own professional view rather than CHA policy.

"Community hospitals do the extraordinary work of getting patients ready for the real world. By working together, we can ensure that once they are back in their communities, their medical history is always there to speak for them, keeping them safe, independent, and out of hospital."

Ahead of our networking and leadership webinar with MedicAlert on 21st October, CEO Rob Burley writes about what happens once a patient leaves a community hospital.

He argues that discharge is a vulnerable moment, particularly for patients with complex conditions, severe allergies or dementia, who leave behind a setting where their medical history is fully understood by staff. In rural areas, he explains, first responders often reach a patient with no access to that history, which can lead to unnecessary A&E readmissions.

Burley makes the case for MDTs to build conversations about medical IDs into discharge planning, so that key health information travels with the patient.

Read Rob's full piece here 
Register for the webinar here

www.medicalert.org.uk

"Community hospitals are well placed to offer Creative Health because activity can be shaped around the person and into everyday care."

Angela Conlan, Public and Patient Involvement Lead at Oxford Health Clinical Research Facility, writes about the role of Creative Health in community hospital recovery. Her piece looks at the Oxford Health Arts Partnership's Creating with Care programme and the Move to Health project, which brought dance and movement into Oxfordshire's community hospitals for patients and staff alike.

The results were striking. Eight out of ten participants reported an improved mood after sessions, nine out of ten felt calmer, and staff noticed patients connecting with others who had previously struggled to join ward activities. Sessions ran in day rooms, shared spaces and outdoors, with artists adapting activity to suit each person's confidence and ability.

Angela sets out what other community hospitals can learn from the project, from the value of local partnerships to the wider evidence linking creative activity with wellbeing and recovery.

Read Angela's full blog here 

"My impression of Beccles Hospital is that it is a vibrant and busy community hospital that has a clear role to play in the local health and care system." 

Dr Helen Tucker MBE, Fellow of the CHA, recently visited Beccles and District War Memorial Hospital in Suffolk, run by East Coast Community Healthcare CIC. Her blog looks at the hospital's Minsmere Ward, which provides 20 intermediate care rehabilitation beds alongside 6 palliative and end-of-life care beds delivered in partnership with St Elizabeth Hospice.

Helen was welcomed by Elyse Arnott, Intermediate Care Therapy Lead and Stamatia Avroudiadou, Operational Lead for Acute-Facing Specialist Services, both of whom attended the CHA National Conference in Swindon earlier this year, along with Michelle Clements, Deputy Director of Quality and Will Lawson-Brown, Patient & Carer Experience Lead. 

Helen heard about the ward's active, person-centred approach to rehabilitation and its Patient Feedback Café, part of a wider Patient Voice Strategy developed with Healthwatch Norfolk and Knowing Works. 

Read the full blog here. 

A recent long read by Adam Lent for the King's Fund tells the story of Fleetwood Community Hospital, closed by the NHS and left derelict, before the town bought the building and turned its ground floor into The Hub. Now community-owned, it houses a food bank, youth services, back-to-work support and a cafe, alongside outpatient services and adult counselling.

Read the full piece on the King's Fund website

"The opportunity for more healthcare digital technology in community hospitals still exists."

Tom Brooks, our Associate Member for Wales, asks whether digital technology is finally reaching community hospitals. He traces the slow arrival of digital tools, from electronic records to remote diagnostics, and shares a personal story. After his wife's stroke, she took part in a virtual reality rehabilitation trial at Eryri Community Hospital in Caernarfon, with results that surprised him. Tom reflects on where this might go next and asks whether digital transformation is still a "Cinderella" in our sector. We would welcome members' views.

Read the full piece here. 

"We can't always control the system, but we can control how we show up within it."

Julie Sharma, who recently joined the CHA committee, was a plenary speaker at the CHA National Conference in May this year. Her talk asked a simple question of everyone working in community care -  what are we really here for? She argues that amid the pressures of estates, flow and capacity, it is easy to lose sight of why the work exists, which is to help people recover, rebuild and stay independent. Purpose, she suggests, lives less in strategies and charts than in the small everyday choices made by leaders, commissioners and frontline teams alike. 

Read the full piece here. 

"As financial constraints tighten on the NHS, more and more financial cuts affecting healthcare services are applied to services for people who live near borders. Residents consider it bias. In England this is true of ICB borders, and in Wales of health board borders. Special issues arise for communities near the England and Wales border and for UK communities near sea borders."

Tom has highlighted the impact on communities located near borders where crucial healthcare services may be lost.

Tom particularly explores the impact on acute service demand management where community hospital services, including beds, are withdrawn.

Tom has been inspired by and had the privilege of listening to Aneurin Bevan on several occasions in the past.

Read the full article here

Read Tom's COMMUNITY HOSPITALS – THE MODEL OF CARE NYE BEVAN ADMIRED here

CHA President Dr David Seamark attended the International Conference on Integrated Care (ICIC25) held in Lisbon from 14–16 May 2025.

This annual conference, organised by the International Foundation for Integrated Care (IFIC), welcomed more than 1,000 delegates from clinical and non-clinical backgrounds representing over 50 countries.

Plenary sessions explored the carbon footprint of healthcare, strategies for universal health coverage and collaborative approaches to integrated care.

Community hospitals featured prominently during a workshop marking the launch of a new international network.

Dr David Seamark presented the history of the Community Hospitals Association and highlighted its work in education, networking and research, alongside the current position of community hospitals within the UK.

The session received a very encouraging response, with representatives from Singapore, New Zealand, Portugal, Spain and the UK expressing interest in joining the CHA and contributing to future collaboration.

IFIC Scotland has kindly agreed to host the International Community Hospital Network and will coordinate future webinars and shared learning events.

Further updates and information will be shared through the CHA website.

More details can be found here

In his latest blog, Dr Alastair Noble explores the urgent need for reform within Scotland’s health and social care system.

Drawing on his experience in Nairn, Dr Noble advocates for a stronger focus on integrated care models that prioritise local communities and community-based healthcare over large hospital-centred systems.

He highlights how the current structure often leads to unnecessary delays, increased pressure on hospitals and rising healthcare costs.

By making better use of local data and understanding the needs of individual communities, Dr Noble believes healthcare services can better support people at home, reduce avoidable admissions and improve outcomes for patients.

His article argues that integrated health and social care is essential to creating a more sustainable, affordable and effective healthcare system for the future.

Read the full blog here

Seachange Devon is a charity based in Budleigh Salterton that operates as a vibrant community hub alongside the NHS, delivering a wide range of services designed to improve the health and wellbeing of local residents.

Originally Budleigh Salterton’s cottage hospital, the site was transformed into a community wellbeing hub in 2018 through collaboration between the local community, the Royal Devon and Exeter Foundation Trust, Devon Clinical Commissioning Group and NHS England.

Seachange now provides NHS outpatient appointments, GP services, exercise classes, wellbeing programmes and a wide range of community activities aimed at reducing isolation and supporting healthier lifestyles.

The hub also offers valuable space for community groups and social activities, helping strengthen local connections and foster a sense of belonging.

Working in partnership with the NHS allows Seachange to provide healthcare services closer to home, reducing the need for people to travel to larger hospitals and helping relieve pressure on acute services through prevention and early intervention.

Marc Jobson highlights that preventative care and early intervention are central to the Seachange model, helping people live longer and healthier lives while also improving quality of life and reducing avoidable healthcare demand.

Seachange demonstrates how community-led charitable initiatives can successfully combine healthcare, wellbeing and social support to create healthier and more connected communities.

Read more here

In 2018, South Warwickshire Foundation Trust developed an ambitious vision for replacing the old Ellen Badger Hospital in Shipston-on-Stour, Warwickshire.

The proposed scheme included retaining in-patient beds, relocating the local GP practice and expanding a wide range of community health and wellbeing services.

The local community strongly supported the plans, with the League of Friends contributing more than £600,000 towards purchasing adjacent land to help make the development possible.

Over time, however, South Warwickshire Foundation Trust temporarily relocated the beds to Leamington Hospital before later concluding through a community bed review that this arrangement should become permanent.

Rather than undertaking a broader review of healthcare services for Shipston and surrounding rural communities, the Integrated Care Board focused consultation specifically on the beds issue.

Beds4Badger, supported by CHA Associate Member Chris Humphris, has since mobilised significant community support in favour of restoring as much of the original vision as possible.

Although the ICB confirmed the loss of beds following consultation, the strength of community response prompted the establishment of a rural services group focused on healthcare provision within the area.

Beds4Badger and local supporters continue working with healthcare organisations and community groups to develop future service plans that include community beds and neighbourhood-based healthcare models.

The campaign has also attracted widespread attention for its memorable and creative demonstrations.

Meet the camel.

Read more about the campaign here

Community hospitals are often misunderstood, with misconceptions sometimes overshadowing the important role they play within local healthcare systems.

In this article, the Community Hospitals Association explores and challenges some of the most common myths surrounding community hospitals and highlights the reality of the services they provide.

Myth #1: Community Hospitals Offer Limited Services

Community hospitals provide far more than basic healthcare services. Many deliver a broad range of medical, nursing, rehabilitation and therapeutic support tailored to the specific needs of local populations.

Myth #2: Community Hospitals Lack Professional Expertise

Community hospitals are staffed by highly skilled healthcare professionals including doctors, nurses, therapists and specialist teams committed to delivering high-quality patient care.

Myth #3: Community Hospitals Are Only for Minor Ailments

Community hospitals support people with a wide range of acute and chronic conditions and often work closely with larger healthcare organisations to deliver integrated and accessible care closer to home.

Myth #4: Community Hospitals Are Becoming Obsolete

Community hospitals continue to evolve, embracing innovation, digital healthcare, preventative care and community wellbeing initiatives to meet the changing needs of local populations.

Myth #5: Community Hospitals Lack Connectivity with Larger Medical Centres

Community hospitals are closely connected with wider healthcare systems and referral pathways, supporting continuity of care and ensuring patients can access specialist services when required.

Together, these examples demonstrate how community hospitals remain essential, adaptable and deeply connected to the health and wellbeing of the communities they serve.

Download the full blog here

Evelyn led the study exploring the contribution of community hospitals during COVID-19, funded by the Health Foundation and Q Community through the Q Exchange programme.

The study concluded that community hospitals demonstrated responsiveness, integration, flexibility, creativity, compassion and resilience throughout the pandemic.

Evelyn reflects on these qualities and explores what they mean for patients, communities, healthcare staff and the wider health and care system.

“Community Hospitals have not always had the recognition they deserve or had their voice heard, but our Health Foundation funded project demonstrated that the wider healthcare system has much to learn from Community Hospitals.”

“As health and care systems continue to face challenges around delayed transfers of care, elective waiting times and workforce pressures, it is important to recognise the value of flexibility, creativity and bold leadership within Community Hospitals.”

Download the blog here

Chris Humphris has been working closely with the local community in Insch to support discussions around the future of their community hospital.

Chris believes the NHS should work collaboratively with local people rather than simply withdrawing beds and services from smaller community hospitals.

He highlights the importance of drawing on local passion, creativity and practical thinking to help shape sustainable and positive healthcare solutions for the future.

“The NHS should always seek to work with local communities to create the best possible arrangements for the future. In doing so, they can harness enthusiasm, skills and innovative thinking to achieve something genuinely positive.”

Download Chris' full blog here