BEDS at a community hospital will be closed until the start of next year.
The six beds at Holywell Community Hospital have been closed due to “higher than expected” sickness levels among staff.
In a letter to Holywell Town Council, Mandy Casey, Flintshire locality matron, said safety of staff and patients at the site, run by Betsi Cadwalader Health Board, were a paramount concern.
She wrote: “Holywell Hospital is a new community resource and the health board is committed to ensuring this facility is used to its full potential.
“The closure of six beds in Holywell is a regrettable but temporary measure during times of particular staffing difficulties. However, we do not anticipate that this issue will continue after January 2012.”
The minor injury unit at Flint Community Hospital was temporarily closed for four weeks this summer after staff sickness at the site and at Holywell.
Furious community leaders in Flint voiced their anger over the health board’s decision to use Flint-based staff to keep the Holywell unit open.
The average monthly sickness rate for the Holywell site has jumped from 6.9 per cent before April to just over 13 per cent since.
Members of the town council voted in favour of mayor Peter York writing to the health board outlying concerns during a meeting on Tuesday night.
He will seek clarification of the long-term future of the hospital.
Councillors also said they would like to see the hospital used more for outpatient services.
Cllr York said: “It is something we will keep an eye on. The health board will have to make a lot of savings and we want to make sure the facilities we fought for for more than 20 years are properly used.”