Anger continues to mount after NHS bosses confirmed they would continue with the disposal of a healthcare facility despite figures showing a huge demand for its services.
The NHS Norfolk and Waveney Integrated Care Board (ICB) is proceeding with the decision to shut Benjamin Court in Cromer - a reablement centre that helps people recover after hospital stays.
The ICB has said it is not financially viable to keep operating at the site and that it no longer fits its model of care, pursuing a 'home first' approach instead.
This is despite recently released statistics that show about 20pc of acute care hospital beds in Norfolk's hospitals are being occupied by people who could be safely discharged.
However, they remain in hospital as they are waiting for adaptations to be made to homes or spaces to become available in care homes.
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The cost of using these hospital beds is three times as expensive as treating a patient at a reablement centre, according to Steve Blatt, chief executive of North Norfolk District Council (NNDC).
The facility, which would help ease these pressures by providing a 'halfway house' for patients, was closed in 2023, prompting a fierce campaign to overturn this decision.
A recent Healthwatch survey found 79pc of respondents wanted it to reopen, while the remaining 21pc wanted the property to still be used in some healthcare capacity.
The issue was discussed at a full council meeting this week, during which the leader of the Liberal Democrat-controlled authority, Tim Adams, branded the decision "ridiculous".
He said: "We feel the health service is moving with undue haste. It is quite ridiculous when we have a modern facility sat there that could be helping patients."
He called for the issue to continue to be pushed into the public domain and the council intends to continue to question the ICB on its decision.
Other concerns include elderly family members in the district having to travel long distances to reach loved ones in hospital in Norwich, King's Lynn or Gorleston, rather than travelling to the centre in Cromer.
There are calls for the leader to write to the secretary of state as a "matter of urgency" to retain the facility.
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