‘No plans’ to close Mundesley Hospital or alter its use
Southern Hills Hospital – better known locally as Mundesley Hospital – has a long and venerable history. In recent years it has been used as a place for people with acute mental health issues to receive care and treatment.
The nature of its work – and some well-publicised issues with hospital management in the past – mean it always subject to scrutiny by local people. I am aware of recent speculation that the hospital might close and that it could be used as a place to house asylum seekers. So I wrote to the hospital management about that and their broader situation. Here is our exchange:
Dear Ed,
Thank you for your email.
We are happy to respond to any questions regarding the hospital, where we are able to do so. As you’ve rightly noted, some aspects of our work are of a sensitive nature, which at times may limit the level of detail we can share with the local community.
You are correct in observing that we are currently experiencing lower occupancy levels. However, this reflects a national trend across all mental health providers and is not specific to Southern Hill.
Despite this, I would like to reassure you — and the local community — that there are currently no plans to close the hospital or alter its use.
Regarding the Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspection, the most recent review took place last year. As noted on the CQC website, the “Well-led” domain was not assessed during this inspection. This was due to it being the first inspection under the new CQC framework, in which the “Well-led” domain had not yet been fully formulated and therefore could not be evaluated. The previous assessment of this domain was carried out in 2022.
Please don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have any further questions or if you would like to come and visit and meet the team at Southern Hill.
Best Regards
Vicky Hare
Hospital Director
From: Edward Maxfield
Sent: 22 October 2025
Subject: Future of Southern Hills Hospital
Dear Victoria
I’m sorry you were unable to make it to the last meeting of Gimingham Parish Council.
I completely understand that operational issues will intervene and prevent attendance at meetings, but I think it is important for Southern Hills to take a lead in addressing concerns that are being expressed within the community about the future use of the hospital nonetheless. At the Gimingham Parish Council meeting Southern Hills representatives attended some months ago, I made the point that proactive communications with the local community are really important for an organisation such as yourselves – although you are not directly answerable to me or to any of the local residents, the work you do is of a sensitive nature that is not well understood and people will want to understand what is going on at the hospital.
At the moment, there are specific concerns around the future of the hospital. The difficult history of the facility is well known locally. There are rumours about low occupancy rates. And while the CQC Inspection rated the facility Good overall it has been noted that ‘Being Well Led’ is rated as RI. All of this is leading to online speculation that the Hospital will imminently close and, unsurprisingly in the current climate, there is also speculation that the facility will then be used to house Asylum Seekers.
I have absolutely no interest in stoking fears about Asylum Seekers, but people do hold legitimate concerns and the best way to avoid problems is transparency. I would really appreciate it if you could share with me information about future plans for the Hospital so I can pass it on to the people living in Mundesley, Gimingham and nearby villages that I represent.
It would help if you could also provide some clarity on the contract model that you operate under – in particular addressing the question of occupancy.
With thanks and best wishes
Ed Maxfield
County Councillor for Mundesley Division
Tel. 07449 706215
www.edmaxfield.org.uk
Facebook: CouncillorEdMaxfield