IN the wake of the plans by the Northern, Western and Eastern Devon Clinical Commissioning Group (NEW Devon CCG) to close all 16 in-patient beds at Okehampton Hospital, a Facebook page has been set up encouraging people to share their thoughts on the decision.

On Wednesday, September 21 the NEW Devon CCG unveiled plans to cut half of the in-patient beds in their Eastern Locality, which includes all 16 beds in Okehampton.The current 143 beds across the locality’s hospitals are to be reduced to 72 beds located at three hospitals instead of the seven used at present.

The CCG is considering four options which would keep beds at Tiverton Hospital and two other hospitals out of Sidmouth, Exmouth, Seaton or Whipton.

All four options mean Okehampton Hospital would lose all its in-patient beds.

Numerous members of the community have slammed the decision, including Central Devon MP Mel Stride, Okehampton Mayor Cllr Jan Goffey, Devon County Councillor Kevin Ball and West Devon Borough Councillor Mike Davies.

Cllr Davies has been so upset by the move he has set up the Facebook page ’Save Our Beds — Okehampton Hospital’, offering anyone who has a view on the decision to share their thoughts, which can then be taken to the CCG. Just over an hour after the page was set up, it had nearly 100 followers.

Cllr Davies said: ’I have set up a Facebook page to try and keep everybody reliably informed as to the actual facts as and when they become available.

’Many such "consultations" go through without any real consultation at all, or view from the majority of people. I would like to try and gain people’s views and explain how best we as a community can present them.

’This is yet another hit for Okehampton. With the projected growth of the town we cannot afford to be losing hospital services. This is a step too far from the NHS. The Clinical Commissioning Group appears to be a law unto itself.’

The CCG’s aim driving its plans is to shave millions off its budget while providing care for patients in their own homes. Local health and social care organisations are facing a financial shortfall in 2015/16 of £122-million, which will rise to £384-million in 2020/21 if nothing changes.

In order to deliver a model of care where more people receive proactive support in their own homes, avoiding hospital admissions and getting home from hospital sooner, the CCG said it needed to increase the number of staff in the community teams. To achieve this it needs to take the skills, expertise and resources from delivering in-patient care to delivering care in people’s homes.

The model has three key aspects to it:

Comprehensive assessment – this identifies people who are frail or becoming frail, and therefore are at risk of being admitted to hospital, and puts a care plan in place for them which sets out possible routes for escalating care when needed.

Single point of access – when additional support is needed, a single point of access, connected to a comprehensive care at home service, will help people to remain at home with support, rather than being admitted to hospital.

Rapid response (care at home) – when someone does need to go to hospital they will be helped to leave as soon as it is clinically safe to do so, with additional support provided at home, including health and care workers delivering rehabilitation alongside traditional care.

To follow the Save Our Beds Facebook page, visit https://www.facebook.com/okeybeds

What are your thoughts on the CCG’s plan to close all 16 in-patient beds at Okehampton Hospital? Share your thoughts with us via [email protected]