HOPE for a bright, busy future for Crediton Hospital, perhaps even trail blazing, was outlined at a meeting at the hospital last Friday when ideas came from representatives of both of the town's doctors' surgeries.

Because there is a strong argument that it would be cheaper to have stroke beds at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital rather than Crediton Hospital, new services could take the place of in-patient services including possibly private clinics on a Saturday, it was suggested.

Dr Joe Mays (Newcombes Surgery) explained that Crediton Hospital was funded to provide 10 beds, which had been the case for a long time.

The previously accepted ratio had been 12 patients to one nurse. At Crediton it was different because of the stroke unit because these patients required more care.

However, a lot of hospitals were now moving towards one in 10 or one in eight, following the Sir Robert Francis report into failings at Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust.

But, because of the need to cover for staff who might be ill or away, it is said that the minimum sustainable size would be 16.

This was why there was the feeling that Okehampton and Tiverton Hospitals would be safe from closure threats because of their size.

Earlier this year all 12 were in use - seven stroke rehabiitation beds and five general medical. Two people said they knew at present two R D and E stroke patients who were waiting for a bed at Crediton Hospital.

It was said that many people below the age of 45 did not even realise that Crediton had a Hospital. If there were more services at the hospital, it would broaden the range of those who use it.

It would mean the hospital could be used by the whole community, young or old, to develop it as a local community focal point.

Currently it is the base for at least 18 different clinics (audiology, chiropody, dementia), several support groups plus a consultant psychiatrist and speech and language therapy.

Dr Mays suggested that new services could take the place of in-patient services, possibly an enhanced out-patient service plus others which would mean the community team would continue to work out of the hospital, meaning the district nurses, occupational therapists and others would still be based there.

Dr Mays added that services were moving towards more and more in the community with greatly enhanced care.

To provide more geriatricians and looking after more people in the community with complex needs including such as people at home receiving a service such as intravenous drips.

The hospital could provide an enhanced treatment room, not quite an operating theatre, but perhaps even for minor surgery.

Possibly multi-purpose consulting rooms. Dr Mays outlined that the only member of a community multidisciplinary team missing from the hospital was a doctor.

If the in-patient areas were redeveloped to allow multipurpose consulting rooms, it might be that both of the GP surgeries could be persuaded to send one or more GPs to run clinics on the site each day, which would allow them to work more closely with the District Nurses and Therapy teams than they currently do.

Of course it must be said that they already work closely together, but that there is always room for improvement!

One comment was that it was much easier for many people to get to Crediton Hospital by public transport than to the R D and E, Okehampton or Tiverton.

Dr Mays agreed that Crediton suffered from being so close to Exeter while not everyone realised it was not a suburb of that city.

One comment was that if a person was coming from one of the villages outside Crediton "it was no joke" to get to the R D and E by bus.

It was agreed the community should be involved in the decision making. This will be discussed at the next meeting of the League of Friends of Crediton Hospital at its May 21 meeting at the hospital.