To do this we are moving 10 stroke rehabilitation beds from Witney Community Hospital to Abingdon. The 10 freed beds at Witney will be used to provide rehabilitation for other patients who require inpatient care. The total number of beds at Witney and across all community hospitals, will remain the same as a result of these changes.

This dedicated stroke rehabilitation ward will help us provide a better service to patients. Concentrating services at one location makes it easier to recruit and retain the numbers of expert professionals needed to help patients recover from stroke, and it will enable us to provide additional resources and support to make sure that we provide the best possible service. It will also help avoid delays in discharges, freeing up beds for patients who need them urgently and conforms much more closely to the national recommendation for stroke rehabilitation services should be provided.

Concentrating services at one location will also reduce the time that staff currently spend travelling between two sites, so that more time is spent treating patients.

These changes have been supported by Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Oxfordshire Clinical Commissioning Group and Oxfordshire County Council and we would like to take this opportunity to thank them for their support.

We will work closely with patients and their families to support them throughout the change process, which is due to take place during early 2018 and be completed by next April.