'Significant' step forward for campaigners' fight to reopen mothballed NHS site |
Locals have been battling to reopen Benjamin Court in Cromer for nearly three years after it was shut without public consultation in June 2023.
The site had provided short-term care beds for patients well enough to leave hospital but not ready to return home.
Campaigners had described it as a "vital" service.
But now, they are feeling more hopeful for the future of the site after lobbying the Norfolk and Waveney Integrated Care Board (ICB) at County Hall in Norwich.
Officials from the ICB agreed that they would now engage with the group to discuss the future of Benjamin Court as part of wider discussions about locally-based care in north Norfolk.
The meeting was held at County Hall in Norwich which saw several campaigners attend. A ukulele band kept the spirits high. (Image: Save Benjamin Court Campaign)
At the meeting, Martin Booth - who spearheaded the campaign - said: "We would ask that in any review of neighbourhood health services in North Norfolk that you urgently look again at Benjamin Court and reopen it as an NHS hub to ease the crisis in hospital discharges and provide a vital health facility for the people of north Norfolk."
A spokesman for the ICB at the County Hall meeting said: "With the particular focus on preventing frailty and supporting those who are frail, I think there is a lot more we can do.
"We are also very supportive of the ambition to shift care out of acute hospitals and into the community to create a new neighbourhood service.
"We are listening as an ICB and we do want to work with you."
Benjamin Court, Cromer (Image: Jack Warren, Newsquest)
Following the meeting, Mr Booth added: "We consider it to be a significant step forward for our campaign.
"It is a tribute to all of you who have stuck by us over the last three years, and reflects the overwhelming view of the North Norfolk community that Benjamin Court urgently needs to be reopened."
The next meeting for the campaign group will be held at 6pm on April 1 at Cromer Community Centre to discuss the next steps.