NHS ‘care facility’ opens in four-star hotel in Bristol city centre

‘Significant pressure’ on local health and care services has led the NHS to again hire out rooms of a four-star hotel in Bristol city centre. The ‘care facility’ is designed to help the flow of patients moving out of hospitals on their way home.

It is understood that the newly-built Leonardo Hotel in Temple Way is being used for the scheme - although an NHS spokesperson would not name the site. Up to 30 patients are able to stay at the hotel and will be looked after by homecare company Abicare.

Bristol Infirmary Hospital and Southmead Hospital have been under considerable winter pressure over the past few weeks. Latest figures show University Hospitals Bristol and Weston Trust, which runs the BRI, was caring for 36 coronavirus patients last Tuesday. At North Bristol NHS Trust, which runs Southmead, 40 Covid patients were in wards.

Use of the hotel started in November and will run until March. Patients staying there are expected to leave for home after three weeks.

A Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board spokesperson said: “Local health and care services are under significant pressure and this temporary care facility delivered at a local hotel will help us to improve the ‘flow’ of patients through our hospitals by ensuring more people can be discharged as soon as they are medically fit to leave hospital.

“The service will operate until the end of March 2023 and will provide comprehensive care, in a welcoming environment, for people who don’t need to be in hospital, but require further support before they return home.

“Nobody should have to stay in hospital longer than necessary and this facility will ensure more people can be discharged promptly. It will also improve the flow of patients through our hospitals while helping to address ambulance handover delays.”

Last year, the NHS used The Bristol Hotel for the same use. The hotel remained open for paying guests with patients, who each had their own en-suite room, who were kept separately in the city centre building.