Community hospitals

Further easing of visiting restrictions

Visiting restrictions eased at WVT hospitals in Herefordshire

Free hospital patient and visitor parking on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day 

Patients and visitors of Hereford County Hospital, Ross, Leominster and Bromyard Community Hospitals, will be provided with free parking this Christmas Day and Boxing Day, December 25 and 26, and New Year’s Day, 1 January 2025.  

The car park entry/exit barriers at Hereford County Hospital will be raised on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day and the pay machines will be taken out of action temporarily to allow free parking on these days for patients and visitors.

At the Trust’s three community hospitals, Ross, Leominster and Bromyard, signs will be displayed on the pay machines advising that parking is free on these days.

Information for patients and carers

We have three modern and comfortable community hospitals.

If you are a patient in an acute hospital, such as Hereford County Hospital, your doctors and nurses may now think you are well enough to be moved to a Community Hospital.

We would like to tell you more about them, their modern facilities and the nurses, doctors and therapists there. This information may also be of interest to you if you are at home and due to be admitted for care.

If you are a patient at the County Hospital it is important that you are transferred or discharged from your current hospital as soon as possible after you have been assessed as clinically fit to leave. This will mean that more beds in this busy hospital are available for the most seriously ill patients. It also reduces the risk of you having problems returning to your normal independent routine.

Our Community Hospitals are modern and well-equipped, and are staffed by dedicated professionals who are committed to providing quality care based on the needs of each patient. While you are staying at one of our Community Hospitals your medical care will be provided by a combination of GPs (General Practitioners) and Consultants.

Parking is available at all of the sites.

What do community hospitals do?

There are Community Hospitals in Ross-on-Wye, Bromyard and Leominster. They can provide ongoing medical care and rehabilitation to help you in your recovery when you have had treatment at Hereford County Hospital or another hospital but are not well enough to go home. 

If you need an outpatient appointment at another hospital after you have moved to a Community Hospital we will arrange for you to get to your appointment. Staff in the Community Hospital will be in touch with staff in the hospital you've come from about your care and medication, and we can easily arrange for you to be transferred back if your condition changes so that you need the extra facilities there.

Choice of community hospital/rehabilitation centre

There are three community hospitals within Herefordshire provided by Wye Valley NHS Trust, based at Bromyard, Leominster and Ross-on-Wye.  

Patients who require a period of rehabilitation at a community hospital will need to have an assessment undertaken of the support they will need during their stay. This assessment will consider which community hospital in Herefordshire can best meet their needs.

Whenever possible we try to transfer you to a Community Hospital of your choice that meets your needs. If this is not possible, maybe because there are no beds available, we may need to transfer you to where there is a bed available and move you to your preferred Community Hospital when there is a vacancy.

What will happen when you move to the community hospital?

Ward staff will make all the arrangements for your move to there. On the morning of the move, hospital staff will collect you from the ward and arrange for you to wait in comfort for hospital transport to pick you up. Unfortunately the precise timing of the transport cannot be given because of the demands on the service but, wherever possible, staff will let you know whether you will be transferred in the morning or afternoon. You only need to carry your most personal belongings with you. Staff will make sure any medication you need and your medical records and x-rays are available.

However ill you are it is important to remember that getting active again for most people is an important part of getting better. As soon as you come in we will start talking to you about your return home. Please don't be offended by this. Our first aim is to get you well enough to go home as soon as possible as we know that is where you would prefer to be.

There are a number of support services available in Herefordshire to help you manage at home after you leave hospital. Staff on the ward can provide you with details of these.

Leaving Hospital – home is best

From the day you are admitted to hospital, the staff involved in your care will work together with you to assess your needs in preparation for leaving hospital.  Find out more about preparing for your hospital discharge including questions for patients to consider, NHS guidance leaflets for patients, what to expect, going home check list and how family/friends can help to get loved ones home once ready for discharge from hospital. 

Friends and Family Test

The Friends and Family Test is a simple question that patients are asked about the care they have received. The test is part of a way of gathering patient feedback and driving improvement in NHS hospital services across the country.

Dementia care

There are currently 800,000 people diagnosed with dementia in the United Kingdom. Every day in an acute hospital approximately 60 to 65 percent of inpatients will be suffering with dementia, confusion and/or delirium.

At this Trust, we have a skilled multidisciplinary team who aim to improve the care and experience for both patients and carers. 

We have a number of initiatives in place to raise awareness amongst our staff of the signs and symptoms of dementia so that we can provide the best possible care for our patients. To find out more Visit our dementia care page.