A CLAIM that Crediton Hospital is now "just being used as offices" has been dispelled by the NHS.

The claim was made following the announcement that many office staff have been relocated to the hospital.

A spokesperson for Devon Partnership NHS Trust said: "The team supporting adults with mental health needs in the mid Devon area has recently relocated to Crediton Hospital from its previous base at Hillbank, Clifford Gardens, Crediton.

"This means that we now have teams supporting adults and older people working at the hospital site, alongside their colleagues from our Depression and Anxiety Service.

"As well as providing office accommodation, the site provides a number of consulting rooms to meet with people being supported by the three teams.

"One of our aims is to eradicate the stigma often associated with mental ill health and co-locating our services alongside physical health services plays an important part in tackling this issue."

A joint statement by the Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust and the Northern, Eastern and Western Devon Clinical Commissioning Group said: "We welcome the co-location of mental health services at Crediton Hospital.

"Bringing together a wide range of services on one site offers great benefits for local people of all ages and is fundamental to our vision to transform Crediton Hospital into a health and wellbeing hub."

COMPLAINTS

The Courier last week received two complaints about what people considered to be a poor level of service being provided by the Mental Health Centre now being run from Crediton Hospital.

A spokesman for Crediton Community Hospital said that it was still a busy community hospital offering a wide range of services, many delivered by a number of NHS trusts and other organisations, which disprove the theory that it is now "just being used as offices".

He said these include: leg ulcer clinic, depression and anxiety service, rheumatology, elderly care, balance group, audiology, stop smoking services, heart failure nurse, clinical psychologist and pulmonary rehabilitation.

Others include community stroke group, cardiac rehabilitation nurse, chiropody/podiatry clinic, community midwives, bladder and bowel, consultant psychiatrist, physiotherapist, extended scope physiotherapy, paediatric speech therapist, dental services, MS exercise group and community hospice care nurse.

• The public is invited to have a say about mental health and learning disability services in the county.

A Network Action Group meeting for Exeter, East and Mid Devon will be held at the Charter Hall, Market Street, Okehampton from 2pm to 4pm on Monday, February 23.

Further details can be found on the website: http://www.devonpartnership.nhs.uk">www.devonpartnership.nhs.uk and anyone who would like further information should contact 0800 0730741 or email: [email protected]">[email protected] .

Reports of previous meetings are available on the website in the "Get Involved" section.

Alan Quick