NHS plans to close 15-bed facility for elderly women as part of new ‘Hospital at Home’ scheme sparking anger from Warwickshire councillors
Andy Mitchell and Local Democracy Reporter
16:00, 07 Mar 2026
Woodloes House in Warwick has been earmarked for closure
Proposals to shut Warwick’s mental health hospital for elderly women have sparked outrage amongst local councillors.
Woodloes House, located on Woodloes Avenue South in Warwick, currently provides 15 beds for female mental health patients aged 65 and above, but health service chiefs are looking to reduce demand by launching a new ‘Hospital at Home’ initiative focused on early intervention and recovery within comfortable, familiar environments.
Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership Trust (CWPT), the organisation responsible for mental health and dementia care across the area, maintains the beds will only be removed once the effectiveness of the new approach has been proven.
Read more: Gang used drones to smuggle phones and drugs into Warwickshire jail
Read more: Update on Warwickshire pub plagued by violence as police say ‘great work’
Should the plan go ahead, 12 of the 15 displaced beds would be redistributed to alternative facilities in Warwick and Nuneaton, though other groups would also experience bed reductions.
The total number of male and female beds for mental health and dementia throughout the county would decrease by a quarter, dropping from the current 60 to 45.
Nevertheless, CWPT maintains that comparable initiatives implemented elsewhere have enhanced both fairness and quality of care, and will particularly benefit south Warwickshire women with dementia who presently must travel to hospitals in the county’s north to receive services that could now be delivered at their homes. Chief operating officer Julie Frake-Harris addressed Warwickshire’s adult social care and health overview and scrutiny committee – a body comprising elected representatives from county, district and borough councils responsible for monitoring relevant services: “I would like to be absolutely clear that no in-patient beds will close unless we are absolutely clear that the new model, our hospital at home team, is able to meet the needs of those patients who are able to stay in their communities at home.”
Associate medical director and mental health specialist Dr Rinki Banerjee subsequently championed the transfer of services from Woodloes to the Ferndale ward at St Michael’s Hospital, Warwick.
Keep up with the latest news from across Warwickshire with our FREE email newsletter.
Ferndale presently provides care for elderly men, and she contended that the “absence of co-location” of broader health services “can cause some challenges” at Woodloes, with the comprehensive support for various conditions – both physical and mental – resulting in quicker discharges for male patients.
Information about the seven-day-a-week Hospital at Home scheme, staffed by doctors, consultants and non-medical professionals including specialist nurses, NHS social workers and occupational therapists, was subsequently outlined.
The majority of patients will receive a fortnight of hospital at home care followed by a “smooth transition” to extended care where required, including in-patient treatment if deemed appropriate. A trial programme in Worcestershire reportedly demonstrated enhanced outcomes.
Chief medical officer Dr Richard Onyon stated: “The focus of this change is about improving care and experience for patients, not reducing the beds, and that we build on the strength of the specialist and compassionate care provided by our staff.”
CWPT has subsequently announced that £1.2 million would be put towards the initiative, creating 10 professional positions across 23 posts in total, though local councillors remained unconvinced.
Join the FREE Coventry WhatsApp community to get the latest news straight to your phone. Find out more here.
Councillor John Holland (Lab, Warwick West) remarked: “A number of things are not clear.
“I had an email some weeks ago announcing this as a decision. It was very clear that this wasn’t a consultation, it was a decision.
“In discussions with the local community I have been told that an alternative use for Woodloes House is already informally agreed.
“If the Equality Impact Assessment is not complete then it cannot be a decision. A lot of questions need answering.”
He went on to say he had encountered local people whom he believed “could not be accommodated by hospital at home”.
“It does depend on what hospital at home really is. It seems that the way this has been done has created alarm that might not have been needed,” he concluded.
Ms Frake-Harris offered her apologies “for the confusion” and clarified: “There is no prearranged deal around Woodloes. Our colleague is absolutely right, we are not in that position.”
Nevertheless, Councillor Kate Rolfe (Lib Dem, Stratford South) supported Cllr Holland’s position, revealing that “anecdotally, the Woodloes building has been earmarked for something else” and suggesting it was a “financial reason for closing”.
She raised concerns about how any decrease in demand could be maintained considering the anticipated housing expansion throughout Warwickshire, expressing worry that more patients would be “presenting in crisis at accident and emergency more often”.
“I can’t endorse this,” she said.
“You talk about feedback but from my point of view it is far too late, asking after the event.
“The consultation has not been done at all. I would like to have seen feedback done before, it just feels – for me and for people I have spoken to – as fait accompli. I don’t feel comfortable.”
Chris Bain, chief executive of patient advocacy organisation Healthwatch, highlighted that data revealed three key worries – accessibility of hospital at home services, continuity of care regarding who carries out home visits, and post-discharge arrangements.
He urged CWPT to examine how effective the initial access to the system truly was, which Ms Frake-Harris committed to reviewing.
Panel chair Councillor Jo Barker (Con, Shipston) stood alone in supporting the proposal, acknowledging its compatibility with the broader NHS strategy to deliver more treatment within people’s homes.
“Some members are wobbly about it and I can understand that,” she said.
“Everyone has become so used to the same sort of bureaucratic consultation. Obviously it is not something that I am very keen on.”
Despite the proposal being rejected, the NHS is still able to proceed with the hospital at home scheme.
A spokesperson stated that CWPT is dedicated to ongoing involvement with the scrutiny process and adhering to statutory guidance and advice. However, they did not confirm whether any future decisions regarding unit closures would be presented to councillors.
They also could not provide a timeline for potential closures.
Make sure our latest stories always feature at the top of your Google Search by setting us as a Preferred Source. Click here to enable or add us as your Preferred Source in your Google search settings.