Proposals to close Teignmouth Hospital could be reviewed
But councillors stopped short of calling for the decision to be referred to the Health Secretary
Councillors have asked for independent experts to take a look at the proposals that would effectively close Teignmouth Hospital, but stopped short of calling for the decision to be referred to the Health Secretary.
The Devon CCG Governing Body, when they met in December, were satisfied that the case had been made to back proposals for moving services away from Teignmouth Community Hospital, the first NHS purpose built hospital back in 1954, given that a new £8m Health and Wellbeing Centre is due to be built in the heart of Teignmouth.
Having considered their findings though, the CCG had unanimously agreed to the proposals which would see community clinics moved to the new Health and Wellbeing Centre, specialist outpatient clinics and day case procedures, move to Dawlish Hospital, and reverse the decision to establish 12 rehabilitation beds at Teignmouth Community Hospital.
With no services left to be commissioned out of the existing hospital site, it would then be up to the Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust to determine the future of the site – with a sale to reinvest finance into local NHS services the most likely outcome.
Dr Paul Johnson, clinical chair of the Devon CCG, had said the decision strives to deliver the best services and outcomes and for the patients that we serve.
But the CCG decision came despite a spotlight review by Devon County Council’s health and adult care scrutiny committee concluding that members did not believe that the consultation has convincingly supported the claim that the proposed changes are in the best interests of the health needs of the population in the area.
The CCG’s decision was scrutinised by councillors on Tuesday afternoon are they asked for the Independent Reconfiguration Panel to conduct an informal review into the decision. But calls for them to formally look at it and make a referral to the Secretary of State to ultimately make the decision were rejected.
The Independent Reconfiguration Panel exist to review proposals for changes to NHS services that are being contested, and advise the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
Their duties include giving expert advice to ministers on proposed NHS reconfigurations or significant service change in England, and the available options and basing advice on whether the proposals will provide safe, sustainable and accessible services for the local population.
And also offering informal advice to NHS and other interested bodies on developing proposals for significant service change, which is what the health and adult care scrutiny committee has requested of them.
Cllr Alistair Dewhirst had called for the decision to be referred to the Secretary of State as ‘it is not in the best interest of the patients in South Devon’.
He added: “We are being asked to agree only two form of health outcomes – a trip to a major clinical hospital or care in your home. This all or very little approach doesn’t suit everyone. For many, care at home is the best outcome, but for some, they have homes that are not fit, or no-one to care for them.
“Is it best thing to do to sell off to the highest bidder, and if it is sold off, we will surely regret the decision in years to come.”
Cllr Martin Shaw added that in the spotlight review, they came to the conclusion that the outcome was ‘largely pre-determined’. He added: “A majority were opposed or unsure about the proposals and the case was not proven. They have not provided the evidence to back up the exaggerated claims they have made about community care, and this is not in the interest of the health service in the area.”
Cllr Claire Wright added: “The spotlight review did an excellent job of looking at the issues and I would be very opposed to any further bed cuts in Devon, and am opposed to the closure of the hospital.”
Cllr Sylvia Russell, who represents the Teignmouth ward, said that there was no doubt that the proposals to close the hospital has caused great concern throughout Teignmouth, and the results were not as conclusive as the CCG would have liked.
She added: “This does deserve to have an independent examination of the proposals and the outcomes away from the council vs NHS vs residents. I hear the calls to go to the Secretary of State, but there are a lot of processes to go through before it gets on his desk, and the Independent Reconfiguration Panel can review the proposals and objectives.
“They can gave it reviewed for the case for and the objections against so a proper evaluation can be made and we should seek their views to review the proposals.”
Cllr Hilary Ackland added: “The decision by the CCG to move services from Teignmouth Hospital has sealed the fate of the hospital and the possibility of community intermediate bed based care. We were unhappy that the consultation did not offer a credible case for change and it wasn’t the result of an open and collaborative approach.
“There was a distinct lack of any research on the efficacy of the home based approach and we have to call into question the way they have used the research.”
She proposed that the committee ask the CCG to think very carefully about their intermediate care policy in the future and that they needed to undertake professional, formal and rigorous research in the intermediate care practice and that they the concerns seriously before coming to decisions about fundamental healthcare changes, but she stopped of formally calling for the decision to referred to the Secretary of State.
And Cllr Philip Sanders said that he was ‘listening with increased horror’ and what some of his fellow councillors were saying.
He said: “I may be pushing water uphill with the broom here but people don’t seem to have realised that the health care system has been evolving and methods of care changing since its inception. I find it really scary when we have a lot of people who are not experts in healthcare telling healthcare how to do their job. You would be brave to tell an engineer to use a screwdriver when they know it should be a spanner.
“We need to look at whether the tools that are being used to look after the population are providing the appropriate patient outcomes – that is all the matters.”
He added that he hadn’t heard any evidence spoken by those railing against the decision of the CCG, adding: “We have already had experts dealing with this and I am prepared to be guided by them.”
The committee voted by nine votes to five against sending the decision to the Secretary of State for a formal review, before voting in favour of asking the Independent Reconfiguration Panel to informally look at the decision that was made.
The decision, as backed by the CCG Board in December, was to
approve the move of the most frequently used community clinics from Teignmouth Community Hospital to the new Health and Wellbeing Centre
approve the move of specialist outpatient clinics, except ear nose and throat clinics and specialist orthopaedic clinics, from Teignmouth Community Hospital to Dawlish Community Hospital, four miles away
approve the move of day case procedures from Teignmouth Community Hospital to Dawlish Community Hospital
continue with a model of community-based intermediate care, reversing the decision to establish 12 rehabilitation beds at Teignmouth Community Hospital
approve the move of specialist ear, nose and throat clinics and specialist orthopaedic clinics to the Health and Wellbeing Centre
request Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust consider in detail the suggestions put forward for additional services at the Health and Wellbeing Centre
request Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust consider providing secondary office space at Dawlish Community Hospital for physiotherapists, occupational therapists and district nurses
request Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust work with Teignbridge District Council to mitigate parking issues for staff and patients as far as possible, and to work to further support and enhance the development of community transport to the hospital sites
The new £8million Health and Wellbeing Centre is to be built by Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust in the heart of Teignmouth and is due to open in 2022, subject to planning permission, but the principle of the development was not part of the consultation as it has already been agreed.
It will house GPs from Teignmouth’s larger practice, Channel View Medical Group, the health and wellbeing team and Volunteering in Health, and subject to the decision by the Governing Body, the most frequently used community clinics – physiotherapy, podiatry and audiology – would also move to the Health and Wellbeing Centre, along with specialist ear, nose and throat and specialist orthopaedic clinics.