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A PLYMOUTH-based healthcare company looks set to take over the running of Tavistock Hospital from April 2016 — but reassurance is still being sought by local residents that job cuts and reduced services will not form part of any future plan.

Plymouth Community Healthcare (PCH) was announced, at a healthcare meeting last Wednesday (November 12) in Tavistock Town Hall, as the 'preferred provider' of community services in West Devon and the South Hams, which will extend to local nursing and services such as physiotherapy and occupational therapy.

The Northern, Eastern and Western Devon Clinical Commissioning Group (NEW Devon CCG) has approved the move but there will now be a scrutiny period before awarding the contract, to ensure PCH can deliver what it has proposed.

But there is concern in Tavistock over the future of Tavistock Hospital under new management. The hospital is currently run by the Torbay and South Devon Care Trust.

At the meeting local resident Lisa Piper said: 'I was told we could be assured that provision wouldn't change and that there would be no staff losses but this person could not speak for the future.

'I just want to know there will be no changes but up until the point when the new company takes over they cannot give us any guarantee.'

Mayor of the town Harry Smith said it was all very well saying that Plymouth Community Healthcare was 'a jolly fine company' and 'they would do us proud' but he wanted reassurance that services would remain in place.

'There was an atmosphere in the room at this meeting of great uncertainty about the future of our hospital which is so vitally important to this community,' said Cllr Smith.

Vice chair of the Western Locality of NEW Devon CCG Dr Steve Harris said the meeting was about getting ideas from the public about how urgent care services might look in the future.

'Unfortunately there was a slight breakdown in communications as there were a number of Torbay and South Devon Care Trust staff present who wanted to discuss details of the procurement process which was not the purpose of the meeting,' he said.

'Staff clearly want to stay with their current provider but we are under a legal obligation to go through a competitive tendering process.

'The decision to go with Plymouth Community Healthcare for complex adult services is about its capability to deliver — it's not a financial one and decisions have not been taken behind closed doors.'

He said Plymouth Community Healthcare was a not-for-profit community interest company that had been set up with the specific aim of providing services that were an integral part of the community, and as such it took no profit but any made was reinvested.

As a provider commissioned to deliver NHS services, the organisation was required to work to the same standards as apply throughout the NHS. The arrangement was similar to the one between the NHS and GPs.

Urgent care services like minor injury units and specialist community services will also go out to tender, but Dr Harris said retaining Tavistock Hospital, inpatient beds and the minor injuries unit were key to the future healthcare plan.

'If anything we want to strengthen the community hospitals — the majority of news in West Devon will be good news. Although we cannot give everyone what they ask for we will do our best to keep the lines of communication open.

'All the ideas that were put forward, including having a more integrated approach, health hubs and one-stop shops so that patients can see several people all in one go, will be fed back into the detailed specification.

'We hope to have a follow-up meeting in the New Year in Tavistock to let people know what is going on.'