Ward 31 at Ninewells Hospital in Dundee will stop caring for elderly people, NHS Tayside has confirmed.
However the health authority is said to be looking into the possibility of relocating the ward closer to Ward 5, which is to become a dedicated ward for elderly people.
An official statement on Monday did not refer to bed numbers or say when any transfer would take place, but a spokeswoman later clarified that the plan is to relocate “the whole of Ward 31.”
The Courier contacted NHS Tayside after staff at Ninewells called to say Ward 31 was closing.
Five elderly people died on the ward late last year during an outbreak of clostridium difficile and the ward became the focus of attention in the Scottish Parliament.
Following the outbreak the number of beds on Ward 31 was reduced to 18, creating more space around each bed to improve infection control.
When Ward 5 becomes exclusively a medicine for the elderly ward it will have 24 beds, prompting one staff member to say that infection control will be poorer as beds will be closer together.
Ninewells staff said they were told last week the refurbished Ward 31 would stop accepting elderly patients and that further details about what was to happen to staff and patients would be issued this week.
An employee said, “The staff have been told the patients in the ward are going elsewhere and there is nobody coming into the ward.
“They were told there were going to be changes and that care of the elderly beds on Ward 31 would be going up to Ward 5.”
Prompted by questions from The Courier, NHS Tayside said last week it was adding 15 beds to the existing nine dedicated to care of the elderly in Ward 5.
A spokeswoman insisted the beds were additional new beds and not simply care of the elderly beds relocated from elsewhere in the hospital.Staff complaintsBut staff complain management have not been upfront with them and some are convinced Ward 31 is to close, with a net loss of beds available for care of the elderly.
All staff contacting The Courier have asked to remain anonymous, and it has been stated that management warned off ward workers from contacting the press.
An NHS Tayside spokeswoman said, “We are currently looking to see if we can relocate Ward 31, which is a medicine for the elderly ward, nearer to where the new medicine for the elderly beds are on the medical floor at Ninewells.
“Ward 31 is currently located in an isolated position away from the other medical adult wards at Ninewells and next to one of the children’s wards.
“The future use of Ward 31 is yet to be determined.”
Meanwhile, former MSP and executive member of Dundee Pensioners Forum John McAllion met NHS Tayside’s deputy chief executive Gerry Marr and leading members of the management team for elderly services on Monday.
He was seeking reassurances about the future of services following the announcement Ward 6 at Royal Victoria Hospital is to close in the summer.
A group of doctors have put their concerns in writing about an untried alternative system being put in place that will not be up and running before the ward closes.
After Monday’s meeting Mr McAllion said he had been told the new system would be an improvement, with elderly people admitted to Ninewells being assessed by a specialist medicine for the elderly doctor much more quickly.
The aim was to move people back home as quickly as possible where there would be community support and rehabilitation services, but he said the plan “depends very heavily on Dundee City Council being able to keep their side of the bargain.”
He said health officials were “confident” the council would “honour” an agreement with NHS Tayside, but he had concerns given the “massive” pressure on council finances.