Decision relating to the nomination of Westminster Memorial Hospital

Nomination as an Asset of Community Value – The Westminster Memorial Hospital, Abbey Walk, Shaftesbury, Dorset, SP7 8BD

The council has decided to list The Westminster Memorial Hospital Shaftesbury as an asset of community value having considered the various tests required under the relevant legislation. Our decision is as follows:

1.  the asset is within the council’s administrative area. This satisfies the legal requirement under Section 88 of The Localism Act, 2011 (The Act)
2. The Westminster Memorial Hospital Shaftesbury is not an asset that is exempt from listing as an asset of community value as set out in The Assets of Community Value (England) Regulations, 2012, (The Regulations), Schedule 1
3. the nomination was validly made by Shaftesbury Town council under Section 89 of The Act and Regulation 4 of The Regulations
4. the council considers that The Westminster Memorial Hospital Shaftesbury satisfies the requirements of Section 88 (1) (a) of The Act, because the current non-ancillary use furthers the social wellbeing or social interests of the local community
5. the council has come to this decision to list The Westminster Memorial Hospital, Shaftesbury based on information supplied in the nomination that evidences the requirements of Section 88 (1) (a) and (b) of The Act and Regulation 6 (c) of the Regulations:

• • Westminster Memorial Hospital is a very busy, community hospital operating as the central provider of health care and social support for the people of Shaftesbury and the wider areas since it opened in 1874
  • the hospital makes it possible for friends and relatives in the locality to easily visit patients instead of having to travel many miles to Dorchester, Yeovil or Salisbury. Referrals are also made to the hospital enabling local elderly and recuperating patients to convalesce near to their relatives many of whom are infirm themselves and would otherwise have difficulty with visiting
  • there are 25 accredited Dorset Healthcare Volunteers who have patient contact and work under the direction of the hospital leadership team. These social and wellbeing activities include gardening, provide refreshments to the patients, a volunteer chaplaincy team, a daily newspaper delivery service, and monthly ‘pets as therapy’ sessions
  • the hospital commands a high level of support from the community as well as an active and engaged League of Friends (the Friends) which has been supporting the Hospital for many decades, and has a current membership of over 300 people. The Friends are integral to supporting the Hospital with regular social and community engagement activities, with funding from the Friends. The support includes fund raising and reflecting the opinion and needs of the community including keeping the community informed of developments
  • throughout the year the Friends and DHC Volunteers support a number of events where both teams work together, such as the Christmas Christingle service and the Easter Egg hunt. The volunteers also support the management, coordination and delivery of other fundraising activities which take place throughout the year. These regular activities raise the profile of the hospital within the wider community both in terms of the medical support and services plus the social benefits of volunteering within the Friends group
  • a number of added value activities to support the social and wellbeing of the community take place in the hospital as a venue as follows: 
    • Relate offer a counselling service for every type of relationship on a weekly basis. The service also offers Family Counselling, Children and Young People’s counselling and sex therapy
    • Age Concern operate a foot-care facility and Weldmar Hospicecare trust operate a Day Centre facility

6. the council is satisfied that the nomination provides evidence in support of Section 88 (1) (b) of The Act as to whether it is realistic to think that there can continue to  be a non-ancillary use of the building and land that would further, (whether or not in the same way), social wellbeing or social interests of the local community. The nomination of The Westminster Memorial Hospital Shaftesbury also provides evidence as follows: “The central location of the site and the services it has provided for well over 100 years, makes the hospital extremely important to the people of the town not only as an operational hospital, but also as a site that could continue to provide an important social element for the town.” The final statement is supported by some suggested uses

The council notes that much wider discussions are taking place with the local NHS Reference group about future longer-term changes of the built estate and recent communication suggested it is important to evolve the thinking about how services will be developed and delivered in the future. This review has not yet concluded and no decisions have yet been made.