POOLE Hospital's award-winning Lilliput elderly care ward will shut for good next month, health chiefs have confirmed.

Staff on the ward are understood to be distraught by the shock closure, which hospital bosses say is part of a move to cut dependency on inpatient beds and reduce the time elderly patients spend in hospital.

While the ward medical team will be offered similar roles elsewhere in older people's services, health watchdogs and relatives of patients have condemned the closure.

Jackie Critchley, whose 77-year-old mother was recently discharged after a two-week stay on Lilliput ward, told the Echo: "My mum was at the brink of death with an unknown and undiagnosed infection, no-one knew what was wrong with her.

"But those ladies on the ward, nothing was too much trouble for them, everything was done, they were so dedicated, absolutely second to none. My concern is that by splitting up such a dedicated team, care will suffer.

"They are upset because they have been a team there - the doctors and the nurses - for many years. They are totally dedicated. I was shocked to discover they were crying over it, they've known for a little while but they've been told not to say anything."

Meanwhile, Martyn Webster - from the Healthwatch Dorset organisation - said: "It is only 12 months ago that Poole Hospital was celebrating Lilliput Ward with an award for best performance, nominated by patients' families.

"Local people tell us that older people's services - whether in hospital or in the community - are struggling to cope and that there aren't enough available beds to meet demand.

"So to close an award-winning facility, caring for some of the most vulnerable in our society, and reduce the number of beds available at Poole Hospital, seems to make no sense at all."

Lilliput ward's closure is part of the hospital's ongoing strategy to provide new services for older patients, avoiding unnecessary admissions, hospital bosses have said. Closure of the ward will reduce the number of beds at the hospital by seven.

Speaking to the Echo outside Poole Hospital, Bournemouth resident Ron Cook said: "I rate Poole Hospital as the best one in the area by far.

"I think it needs all the support it can, I'm disappointed they're shutting the ward because this is the place where you get the best personal care compared to anywhere else."

Meanwhile, Peter Sanderson, from Poole, described the closure as "disastrous" for elderly care locally.

"It seems to be happening a lot at the moment, " he added. "Cuts rebranded as new strategies."

However, one woman - who has worked in elderly healthcare for 40 years and asked not to be named - said: "The real issue is for elderly patients to have the care in place when they leave hospital. So often they come into hospital, pick up infections and there are ongoing problems from there.

"If you can minimise the risk when people come into hospital, which is what they may be trying to do in this instance, then patients won't pick up norovirus or C.diff, which then makes them worse."

Poole resident Harvey Casson said: "I'm not happy to hear about this ward closure, I think it is terrible for all the staff and the patients who rely on it."

Under the wider proposed shake-up of Dorset health services, Poole Hospital will, controversially, be losing its accident and emergency unit.

The plans, part of Dorset CCG's Clinical Services Review, will see the Royal Bournemouth Hospital become the conurbation's major emergency care centre. A number of community hospitals are also earmarked for closure.

THE medical director of Poole Hospital, Robert Talbot, said: "With the reduction in the need to admit patients, and acceptance that reducing the length of stay to a minimum avoids further deterioration in their health, it is right that we look at the number of beds required in older people's services.

"We should treat more patients as outpatients, or with support from community health services, and it is almost always better for patients to receive this care at their normal place of residence. For those patients who do need to come into hospital, the care and innovative practices we provide means that the time spent in hospital is minimised.

"Closing a ward is a difficult decision and I would like to thank the whole Lilliput team for their contribution to exceptional care.

"The decision reflects the successes of the services we provide in keeping patients in hospital for the shortest period needed."