Proposals to start the design for an 80-bed reablement centre in the heart of Dorchester are to go to Dorset Council's Cabinet next week.

The proposed centre would be on the Dorset County Hospital site near Bridport/Damers Road, forming a significant partnership for health and social care for the years to come.

The new centre would significantly increase the capacity for the number of people receiving recovery and rehabilitation care and provide a modern fit-for-purpose facility for the future of care delivery for all our residents.

The proposal is the first development of a programme to ensure Dorset Council has the required care capacity, with up to £80 million ear marked for the purpose from its capital account, and this will build on work already progressed to support residents who are discharged from hospital or are recovering after a fall or illness in their own home.

It follows the council's decision last year to prioritise actions to address the lack of therapeutic recovery services in the county following the Covid-19 pandemic.

The lack of suitable bedded rehabilitation services that could help them recover to live independent lives more quickly and fully means that too many people must stay in long-term care or return to hospital rather than moving back to their own homes. This is not good for them and their families.

The new reablement centres will help:

• Ensure that Dorset has sufficient care services to meet future demand for care
• Reduce pressure on NHS beds and services including prevention of admission
• Help those patients that no longer need to be in hospital to be discharged more quickly
• Improve health outcomes for Dorset Council residents who are discharged from hospital and need ongoing care and support
• Reduce pressures on the Council's finances arising from demand and cost of adult social care services

Cllr Jane Somper, portfolio holder for Adult Social Care and Health, welcomed the proposal: "This is potentially a very exciting partnership with the NHS to help residents across Dorset and we look forward to working with Dorset County Hospital to draw up more detailed plans over the next few months.

"Our reablement plan has the opportunity to make a huge difference to people's livelihoods, enabling them to go back to living an independent life with their families and in their communities."

Deputy chief executive of Dorset County Hospital, Nick Johnson, said: "One of the key challenges for Dorset County Hospital is that we often have patients who no longer need to be in hospital but are waiting for an ongoing care and support package to be in place before they leave.

"This puts pressure on the hospital, as it means we have fewer beds for people that need to be admitted, and it can also have a negative impact on the patient, as staying in hospital for longer than necessary affects how well people recover.

"A reablement centre on our site would allow us to move those patients who are ready to leave hospital, allowing them to continue with their recovery and free up beds on our wards for people who need them.

"We look forward to working in partnership with Dorset Council on this initiative. It could be an exciting new model of care that helps patients recover more quickly and tackles delays in leaving hospital, allowing us to provide care for those that need it."

Plans for the reablement centre are separate to those for a new emergency department and critical care unit at Dorset County Hospital. You can read more about these proposals here.