IN hopes of seeing health and care services working together to get the sort of health service people in Crediton and area would like, members of Crediton Town Council want to talk with people in Ilfracombe where “One Ilfracombe” is having large success.

This came from a meeting at Crediton Hospital on Monday afternoon, called by Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust for anyone interested in health.

“One Ilfracombe” sets out to redesign the way services are delivered locally to achieve better outcomes for the people that use and pay for them.

The Crediton meeting was one of six being held by the Trust. The others are at Exmouth, Ottery St Mary, Whipton Hospital, Honiton with the meeting at Tiverton Hospital on July 14, (2pm to 3.30pm) being the last of that series.

Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust had said the meetings were “to engage the local community with the way local health services will change over the next few years.”

LIMITED FINANCES

That as demands increase, the limited finances need to stretch. It said that with a funding gap of £11 million this year, the Trust could not afford to continue the same care, that making savings would involve changes to the way the Trust’s services were delivered. It was confident it could make savings and improve patient care.

The meeting at Crediton marked the beginning of a four-month long process of talking with the public and organisations “to ensure we make the right decisions that are affordable.”

The Trust said it asked for “stakeholder input”, that is from anyone, members of the public, everyone with an interest in health, in the available options to decide the configuration of inpatient beds with the available budget.

CONSULTATION

There would be public consultation during August with decision and implementation during September or October.

Crediton’s meeting was addressed by Dr Alison Diamond, chief executive and the Trust’s communications director, Andy Ibbs.

Dr Diamond said the Trust was having to adapt to the national shortage of staff, it could not work in the way it used to and it was successful in what it did.

CARE IN THE HOME

It was beginning to provide domiciliary care in the home because there was the difficulty of getting staff. This had proved successful at Budleigh Salterton, Moretonhampstead and Torrington.

She said the length of time patients spent in acute and community hospitals needed to be reduced; anything more than 11 days was harmful. She said it was thought that 40 per cent of patients should not have been in hospital.

Dr Diamond said the Trust was working closely with Social Services and there should not be a point where the nursing or residential homes reach the full up stage.

She said the Government had announced the Better Care Fund, it was about putting people back home in an appropriate way, using care home beds in the right way, with the right people there.