Following the announcement made in December 2007 by Hampshire Primary Care Trust, Julia Badham, Chair, Leage of Friends, said,

"After two and a half years of discussions with both the New Forest PCT and Hampshire PCT, I feel that Milford War Memorial Hospital has a future. I am naturally sad that there will not be any beds at Milford Hospital, but there are facilities at Lymington New Forest Hospital. The future plans will enable many more patients to be seen locally, and the League of Friends look forward to working with other organisations."

Hampshire Primary Care Trust

Building a future for Milford on Sea War Memorial Hospital

We want to provide a better service for people who are recovering from an illness or injury, both in their homes and in inpatient beds. There are nine beds at Milford Hospital, which can safely care for patients waiting for transfer to a residential or nursing home placement, or for care at home.

There is a diagnostic unit at Milford, which is currently unoccupied and there is a purpose built outpatients department, which is underused.

We now have the opportunity to develop new services at Milford Hospital that will support local people with long term conditions, provide extended community rehabilitation, develop new day rehabilitation and extend outpatients clinics.

This will include:

Strengthening the community rehabilitation service with a new community matron, physiotherapist and rehabilitation assistant.

Extend the range of clinics run at Milford to include nurse-led clinics for: Falls, Parkinson's Disease, Diabetes, Heart Disease, Chronic lung Disease, Stroke and Leg Ulcers.

Open a dialysis unit from January 2008

Increase day rehabilitation

Assessment and support for patients with Alzheimer's disease and their carers.

What About Beds?
We have now been given the green light by the Department of Health to extend and develop services at Lymington New Forest Hospital. In response to local feedback that access to inpatient beds is vital for the Milford community, we will transfer the existing nine beds at Milford on Sea to Lymington. This will provide rehabilitation beds for local people in a modern, purpose-built hospital with better access to diagnostics and medical care.