A hospital ward in Lincolnshire that closed temporarily over the winter months is reopening ahead of schedule. The Scarborough Ward at Skegness Hospital will reopen on Monday after being shut for five months.
It was closed by health managers to help recoup a �7m overspend by East Lincolnshire NHS Primary Care Trust.
The decision was fought by local campaigners who claimed health care would suffer as a result of the reduction in beds.
New budget
Matron Andrea Bennett said: "What I want to do is open a handful of beds initially and then gradually over a week to 10 days increase the patients coming in so that by the 27th (of March) we will have the full 15 beds reopened.
"We've gone through the planned closure - it was only for the five months as the primary care trust guaranteed.
"It was only ever intended as part of the financial recovery plan for this financial year so we are going into the new financial year from April 1st.
"We've got through that period, we now need to concentrate on getting our patients back in, treating them, caring for them and looking after them appropriately."
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