Campaigners, healthcare workers and residents gathered in Beverley today (Monday 11 May) to protest against the planned closure of Bridlington Hospital’s Community Ward, with growing opposition to the York and Scarborough NHS Trusts decision to move services out of the town.
The demonstration took place outside East Riding of Yorkshire Council offices ahead of an extraordinary meeting of the council’s Health, Care and Wellbeing Overview and Scrutiny Sub-Committee, which questioned NHS leaders about the proposed shutdown of the Bridlington Care Unit (BCU), also known as Johnson Ward.
The 28-bed ward is scheduled to close on June 1, 2026, with services transferred to Scarborough General Hospital.
Hospital leaders say the ward was introduced as a temporary measure during the Covid-19 pandemic and that future care should focus more on supporting patients at home rather than in hospital beds.
NHS officials argue that long hospital stays can lead to “deconditioning”, where patients — particularly elderly people — lose strength and independence during prolonged admissions.
Average stays on the ward are currently between 27 and 30 days, according to health bosses. Active bed numbers have already been reduced to 15 ahead of the proposed closure.
However, the plans have sparked a strong backlash across Bridlington and the wider East Yorkshire area. Protesters say the loss of the ward would leave elderly and vulnerable patients without accessible local care and force families to make round trips of more than 50 miles to visit relatives in Scarborough.
There are also concerns over what the closure could mean for NHS staff, although health chiefs insist the 31 employees affected will be redeployed elsewhere within the service and no redundancies are expected.
Bridlington MP Charlie Dewhirst attended Monday’s meeting and praised the turnout from residents determined to keep services in the town.
While the final decision remains with the NHS, he welcomed the scrutiny meeting as an opportunity to publicly challenge health leaders over the impact the closure could have on East Yorkshire communities.
Mr Dewhirst said he plans to present a petition opposing the closure to the Government and the Health Secretary in the coming days.
He said: “I’m expecting to present our petition to the Government and the Health Secretary early next week, so thank you to all those helping to gather the thousands of signatures so far – and a final call to anyone who has not yet signed but wishes to add their voice.”
Campaigners say the fight to save the ward will continue in the weeks ahead as pressure mounts on NHS decision-makers to reconsider the closure.
