Former Eastbourne care home reopens to help with Covid

Firwood House, in Hampden Park, is being used by East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust in order to help deal with the covid demand.

A spokesperson for East Sussex County Council said, “In order to support the local NHS in their response to the exceptional demand created by the Covid-19 pandemic the county council has temporarily made the facilities at Firwood House available to East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust.

“The trust will use the facilities to provide support to patients who no longer require acute care but are not yet well enough to return home.

“This will create much-needed capacity within the acute hospitals to treat and care for additional patients.”

The house was closed down due to cost-cutting measures and before being used as a care home it was a rehabilitation and reablement service operated jointly by East Sussex County Council and the local NHS trust.

In the past, officials have said the house could provide ‘excellent step-down services’ to help hospitals through the pandemic.

In September last year a spokesperson for East Sussex County Council said, “Firwood House has been equipped and maintained so that, subject to staffing, in the event of an emergency it can become operational within a matter of hours.”