New inpatient admissions will be temporarily suspended at the Patrick Stead Hospital as bosses at East Coast Community Healthcare (ECCH) fear nursing shortages could affect patient safety.

Inpatient activity at the hospital will be suspended from October 1.

ECCH and Great Yarmouth and Waveney Clinical Commissioning Group, which commissions the services, will review the position on a monthly basis with a view to readmitting patients to Patrick Stead if the situation improves. ECCH continues to advertise vacancies on the national NHS Jobs website where clinical staff are likely to look first when seeking new opportunities.

Jonathan Williams, chief executive of ECCH said: 'This decision has not been easy to make but the safety of our patients and staff is our number one priority. Staffing at Patrick Stead Hospital has reached a critical level. This is primarily due to the uncertainty around the future of the hospital following last year's public consultation into health services in the area which earmarked the hospital for closure. This has created considerable problems with keeping existing staff and recruiting new staff.

'We are very proud of the work our staff have done at Patrick Stead Hospital and we are very grateful to them for their commitment and dedication is an increasingly difficult climate. We will be supporting them and working within the provisions of the legal framework and ECCH policy to maximize the opportunities available for those staff affected while the inpatient activity is suspended.'

The staff, including nurses, therapists and healthcare assistants, will be temporarily relocated to other ECCH services providing care for patients across Great Yarmouth and Waveney.