Appointments in the small number of clinics run by Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust at the Chase Community Hospital in Bordon will now be available in Alton.
The Chase hospital remains open, with physiotherapy, baby and children’s clinics, podiatry, speech and language therapy, sexual health, adult and older people’s mental health, counselling and screening services provided by a range of other healthcare providers including Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust and Solent NHS Trust.
Royal Surrey County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is now providing community midwifery at the Chase hospital and GP surgeries. Ophthalmology and general paediatrics will be provided at local GP practices. Patients can also choose to be seen by Royal Surrey in Haslemere for ENT (ear, nose and throat), audiology and ophthalmology.
Most of the appointments previously run by Hampshire Hospitals will now take place at Alton Community Hospital. The Trust’s outpatient and midwifery services will move from 31 March 2019, with x-ray services following at the end of June 2019. The Trust is still exploring options to retain paediatric physiotherapy services in Bordon.
Patients with upcoming appointments with one of the Hampshire Hospitals services are advised to attend their appointment at the location specified on their appointment letter.
Alex Whitfield, chief executive of Hampshire Hospitals, which runs Andover War Memorial Hospital, Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital and Royal Hampshire County Hospital, in Winchester, said: “We are sorry for any additional inconvenience that these changes may cause for our patients.
“Unfortunately, as we have to hire the space at the hospital and have had declining numbers of patients attending for the small number of clinics we run there, we can no longer afford to provide services from the Chase Community Hospital.
“We have spoken to a wide range of people in the community and have worked very closely with South East Hampshire CCG to arrive at this decision. We are providing the majority of services at Alton and these services will be run by the same consultant and clinical teams to provide continuity of care.”
Sara Tiller, managing director of South Eastern Hampshire CCG said: “I’m really pleased that Royal Surrey has started to provide services for local people in Whitehill and Bordon. These complement the range of services already provided at Chase Community Hospital, which will remain open until a health hub facility can be provided in the new town centre.”
