'Fighting Fund' created as campaigners look to take NHS to court over long-term future of Torbay Hospital
NHS Devon says no decisions have yet been made and pledged any proposals would be 'developed with public involvement'
Last updated 6 hours ago
Hundreds of people packed out a public meeting overnight, where it was agreed to try and take legal action against NHS Devon.
Health bosses were booed for not attending the meeting, which was called over fears Torbay Hospital could be downgraded in the long-term.
Susie Colley, a former nurse, who is behind the heart campaign told the meeting she was aiming to raise £40,000 to support legal action over a failure to engage adequately with local hospital users - claiming the fabric of the hospital was 'crumbling' as a result of uncertainty.
She said: "They are very whooly with what they are planning to do and not planning to do, and it's causing total demoralisation of Torbay Hospital."
Around four months ago hundreds of people formed a 'ring of hope' on public land in front of the hospital site. The meeting was told - it was believed - that internal staff opposition also resulted in a planned relocation of heart-related services to Exeter's R,D & E being paused.
Devon's integrated care board, often referred to as NHS Devon, had issued a statement (see below) ahead of the meeting but has also previously pulled promised interviews with Hits Radio and routinely sent pre-prepared statements, with Hits Radio unable to ask questions.
During the meeting, Dr Phil Keeling who spent 29 years at Torbay Hospital was applauded as one meeting-goer revealed he had saved her life via one of his operations.
He said: "The plan they've come up with is a very wishy-washy long-term plan looking at direction of travel rather than any facts. We're now 18 months on and we don't have a clue about what's being proposed for our local population for their healthcare.
"We await both the R,D& E and Torbay getting together to talk about it - but that's going to be several months, during which we feel somewhat threatened."
During the meeting one member of the public asked if Torbay could stage some form of 'vote of confidence' in NHS Devon as a way of highlighting levels of public anger and concern.
What do campaigners fear is going on?
Steve Darling MP says he has been 'approached by medics at Torbay Hospital who are concerned that the histopathology service is set to be centralised elsewhere in Exeter' - and has 'written to the hospital on this matter'.
Ahead of the meeting he said: "The histopathology service at Torbay Hospital has a record of being a really high performing service. During the pandemic they were the only service in the South West which was in a position to be testing for Covid, and they did much of the heavy lifting during the recent Cryptosporidium episode in Brixham. In fact, inspections have been carried out on the testing facility to check that it was really as high performing as it claimed.
"At the moment, Histopathology in Torbay and South Devon is provided from a temporary cabin on the Torbay Hospital site, which is now more than 40 years old. The Foundation Trust has secured funding to replenish the service but plans are afoot to move it to a site in Exeter in the longer term.
"The current plan is that routine services would be transferred in about 12 to 18 months. Torbay NHS Trust have given assurances that all urgent and time-critical work will remain in the Acute Service Laboratory at Torbay Hospital," he said.
The meeting was told last night that Mr Darling is looking to stage an adjournment debate in Parliament, with other local MPs also represented at the meeting and showing support for the heart campaign.
The meeting heard that there's fears services could increasingly be moved to Exeter. leaving ambulances as 'taxis' for patients - with the suggestion that once services go, or staff start to leave, there is a 'domino' effect.
The meeting was told some staff have relocated to Australia and others have been warned about the long-term future of Torbay. The meeting also heard there's fears that Torbay's A&E might - in future - be considered to only operate on weekdays from 9am-5pm. The statement issued by the ICB (below) does not offer any clarification on this.
During the meeting the financial pressures on the NHS was also raised, with examples of the recent decision by Torbay and South Devon NHS to withdraw from a 20-year partnership with Torbay Council on joint social care integration to reduce 'bed blocking'.
The meeting was told the roughly £3.5 million saving was 'small' given that Torbay Council spends £68 million, the NHS £30 and service users put in £24 million - with the partnership's success allowing Torbay to remove 68 beds and enjoy lower 'bed blocking' rates than the main hospitals in Exeter and Plymouth.
The Heart Campaign Torbay website can be found here
What has the intergrated care board said?
A spokesperson for NHS Devon Integrated Care Board said: “We are committed to improving health and care services across Devon so local people can live happier, longer and healthier lives.
“We recognise that some people are worried about the future of local hospitals and services. Our published One Plan for Devon sets out how health and care services will need to evolve over the next five years to respond to growing demand, workforce pressures and the needs of an ageing population.
“Our local hospitals play a vital role in our communities and will continue to do so.
“Our ambition is for people in Devon to experience care that is easier to access, high-quality, more joined up, and delivered closer to home, with shorter waits, better outcomes and a more sustainable NHS for the future.
“If any changes to services are proposed in the future, they would be clinically led, based on evidence, and developed with public involvement, giving local people the opportunity to have their say before decisions are made.
“We remain fully committed to public engagement. In line with national NHS preelection guidance, we are limited in attending public meetings at this time; however, we will be engaging openly with local communities over the summer.
“Together, we want to build a sustainable NHS that continues to provide high-quality care for our communities now and in the future.”
The spokesperson added that 'operational matters are led by individual NHS Trusts and are considered through their own governance and public processes' and also that 'local people can sign up for official NHS Devon updates, to receive the latest information and invites to engagement opportunities'