End of an era as former Bolsover Hospital could be demolished next month

Plans have been lodged to demolish the former Bolsover Hospital, marking the end of an era for local healthcare.
Bolsover Hospital could be demolished next month.Bolsover Hospital could be demolished next month.
Bolsover Hospital could be demolished next month.

Homes England has submitted proposals to Bolsover District Council to demolish the buildings, signage and lighting columns at the hospital on Welbeck Road, which was built in the 1980s.

Work is due to start on June 28, if the plans are approved.

"Demolition is required to enable the site's disposal and redevelopment for residential uses," the plans state.

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"Demolition needs to take place to prevent unauthorised access to the structures resulting in anti-social behaviour, material theft causing the structure to become unsafe and to generally reduce occupiers' liabilities."

Homes England is a government department responsible for developing local communities by fast-tracking housing development opportunities.

They completed the purchase from Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Foundation on February 1.

The decision to close Bolsover Hospital was taken in July 2017 by North Derbyshire and Hardwick Clinical Commissioning Groups as part of the Better Care Closer to Home consultation to provide more care to older people in settings closer to their homes.

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Over the past 18 months, community health services across north Derbyshire have been transformed, in line with Better Care Closer to Home, to provide more services out of hospital, resulting in the relocation of some services and the creation of new services.

As a result, Bolsover Hospital has been largely empty for several months.

In February, William Jones, chief operating officer for Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Foundation Trust, paid tribute to the many people who were part of the Bolsover Hospital team, serving the local community for over 30 years.

He said: "It is with sadness that we mark the sale of the hospital site. We recognise and acknowledge the thousands of people who have received care at the hospital. We pay tribute to everyone who created the Bolsover Hospital community while also recognising that care has changed and we needed to make adjustments in line with Better Care Closer to Home.”

He added: "Many of us spent many happy hours working at Bolsover Hospital but life moves on in health and social care and we need to change with the times in the interests of our patients.”