Best Western Hotel Rembrandt in Weymouth, southern England will be the first in the UK to be turned into a discharge hospital during the coronavirus crisis.

The hotel will offer 31 beds from Monday (April 6) and will be staffed by AbiCare.

Councillor Laura Miller, Portfolio Holder for Adult Social Care and Health at Dorset Council said, “It’s a great success, showing the dedication of partners across the system to get this set up in just a few days.

"We’re hearing nationally about the shortage of hospital beds, and so we want to be ahead of the curve by providing alternative solutions. We can then make sure that the most critically ill people can get the right help and support at the right time."

Release Hotel is helping people leave hospital
As part of the efforts to help people get out of hospital when they are fit to do so, a new model is being launched in South Dorset.
The Best Western Hotel Rembrandt on Dorchester Road in Weymouth will be repurposed during the coronavirus crisis and will be set up as a base for people who can’t go directly back to their own homes when they are ready for discharge from hospital.
The hotel will offer 31 beds from Monday 6 April and will be staffed by Abi Live-In Care.
Using a model that has been proven in other areas, this new base aims to assist people to recover and regain their independence outside of hospital, offers more capacity to the health and care system across the area and adds to our ability to respond to the current situation. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) are fully in support of this and are helping to get it set up as quickly as possible.
We are also in negotiations to open a second base, likely to be in the Sherborne area, from the middle of the month.
Cllr Laura Miller, Portfolio Holder for adult social care and health at Dorset Council said:
“It’s a great success, showing the dedication of partners across the system to get this set up in just a few days. We’re hearing nationally about the shortage of hospital beds, and so we want to be ahead of the curve by providing alternative solutions. We can then make sure that the most critically ill people can get the right help and support at the right time”.