22.03.19
‘Impossible’ for healthcare trust to remain open with 280 jobs set to go
A 150-year-old private health trust has announced it will have to close, with all services and 280 staff expected to be lost.
All Hallows Healthcare Trust said it had been forced to accept that it is now “impossible” to balance its costs and the board admitted “with enormous sadness” that it “cannot see a way to remain open” as reserves are running out.
The private trust has been providing care since 1872 and operates a 30-bed hospital, 50-bed nursing home, a domiciliary care service and a day care service, caring for over 250 daily.
In a statement the trust said: “It is with enormous sadness that All Hallows’ board of trustees has to announce that All Hallows Healthcare Trust and all of its services are likely to close, subject to staff consultation.
“They have been forced to accept that it is now impossible to balance income and costs on an ongoing basis.”
The board of trustees thanked their “caring and hard-working staff” and stressed that the care and future of its residents, clients, and patients “remains of paramount importance to us.”
A 45-day formal process of consultation with the 280 staff employed at the trust has begun, and the trust said it is engaged in detailed planning with commissioners to identify and arrange alternative care for its patients and minimise disruption.
The bodies that commissioned All Hallows trust to deliver care, who have a statutory duty to provide health and care to all patients currently at the trust, have said that all services could be transferred to another provider.
Sue Cook, executive director of peoples services at Suffolk County Council, said on behalf of all the commissioners: “Working with All Hallows, we are actively exploring a range of options to minimise disruption to the care provided.
“This includes the transfer of care and support services to alternative providers who can deliver a good quality of care at a local level.”
“We are also in close contact with the owners of All Hallows’ buildings in Bungay and Ditchingham to explore the potential of leasing these to another provider.”
She added: “The impact on staff at All Hallows will also be a key factor as we consider all options for service continuity.
“We will continue to keep people, and staff, updated with any developments. We recognise this is a worrying time for them.”