More than 100 patients taking up hospital beds even though they don’t need acute care will have to be moved elsewhere before King Edward VII Memorial Hospital is reconstructed.

Experts from Johns Hopkins Medicine International highlighted the problem while carrying out a $200,000 review ahead of the pending major rebuilding programme, Health Minister Michael Scott revealed today.

Mr. Scott said he was confident the patients — mainly elderly people who have no family to look after them — could be found new homes in the Sylvia Richardson Care Facility or Lefroy House nursing home, which are both being extended. It is hoped some will be able to return to their families.

“There are 104 non-acute patients,” Mr. Scott told The Royal Gazette. “We have to look for strategies to rehouse these patients. If we can reduce the number of non-acute beds, this keeps the costs down.

“We will relocate them in existing Government facilities, and look at models of how we can manage the situation in the future.”

Earlier, Mr. Scott told a press conference Johns Hopkins had advised the number of non-acute patients would help determine the size of the new hospital.

“They have looked at the implications of having non-acute care, such as continuing care for the elderly, provided on the same site,” said Mr. Scott.

“It requires a whole solution of its own, to ensure that our seniors have adequate provision.”

The new hospital, which is expected to be up and running by 2012, will involve several phases of reconstruction at the existing building.

For the full story, see tomorrow’s Royal Gazette.