NHS Devon Integrated Care Board refuses to come to meeting as news breaks that they have given £2.8m to the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital (RD&E) and the North Devon District Hospitals (NDDH) to provide more beds! (See below) – Owl

seatonmatters.org /

A large community public meeting will take place tomorrow to oppose the Devon NHS Integrated Care Board (ICB) decision to hand back a 2-storey wing of Seaton Hospital to NHS Property Services, potentially leading to its demolition.

The ICB and NHS Property Services have both refused to send a speaker to explain the decision. Indeed the ICB has decided to have NO community consultation at all, although the wing was built 100% with local donations in 1991 (see attached fact sheet).

Tomorrow’s meeting will hear from Richard Foord MP and Dr Mark Welland of Seaton Hospital League of Friends on discussions with the ICB and Property Services, which so far have not produced a way forward.

Speakers at the meeting represent the three main centres in the area, Seaton, the Coly Valley and Beer and both the Liberal Democrat and Conservative parties (see attached notice).

There is strong public feeling and this will be the biggest meeting in the area since the bed closures in 2017 – please make sure your programme or paper sends a correspondent/camera crew.

VENUE: COLYFORD MEMORIAL HALL. TIME: 1.30-3.

Meanwhile

Devon hospitals given £2.8m for bed shortage support

BBC News www.bbc.co.uk

The Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust said it still expected to have bed shortages

Extra funding has been given to hospitals in Devon in a bid to cut bed shortages this winter.

The NHS Devon Integrated Care Board has given £2.8m to the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital (RD&E) and the North Devon District Hospitals (NDDH).

The trust that runs both had expected RD&E would be 80 beds short on average during the winter and NDDH about 40.

It said even with the funding it would expect to be a total of about 100 bed short on its “most challenged days”.

The trust said “additional measures could be implemented at pace” to mitigate the gaps, but it would require further funding.