Two wards at the Royal Lancaster Infirmary are set to close permanently.
The beds in the Castle View unit will be shut in phases, with the first ward of 24 beds set for closure before the end of 2026. The plans are not due to be sent out for public consultation.
Hospital bosses say any closures will only happen when it’s deemed safe to do so.
The plans were discussed at a meeting of Lancashire County Council’s Health and Adult Services Scrutiny Committee this week, as part of an initiative called ‘right care, right place’, exploring the concept of care ‘closer to home’, which the report by the Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board says is a key component of the national NHS 10-year plan.
Castle View’s wards specialise in rehabilitation and therapy to prepare often elderly patients to return home, especially in cases where the discharge process for them is complex.
The report says that as of September 4, 2026, approximately 25% of RLI beds were occupied by patients who did not meet the criteria to reside as an in patient. The majority of patients in the Castle View Unit no longer need hospital care, and that when people, especially older people, stay in hospital longer than they need to, their health can worsen.
The report goes on to say that the deployment of ‘rapid community response’ teams means more people can be safely assessed and supported at home rather than being brought into hospital – while so-called ‘virtual wards’ enable them to be looked after remotely.
The ICB added that ‘’patient safety and quality of care remained their top priorities, that they will continue to closely monitor bed occupancy, demand and operational pressures, and no beds will close until community rehabilitation and discharge services are in place and able to meet patients' needs.
‘’Hospital capacity will be kept under review throughout the winter period, and no beds at RLI will close without the agreement of both the Chief Nursing Officer and Chief Medical Officer.’’
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