DR Joe Mays has urged the people of Crediton and district to let the Northern, Eastern and Western (NEW) Devon Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) know their thoughts. This is still a most important thing to do, even though the CCG has already received nearly 3,500 signatures in favour of keeping in-patient beds and listened to a unanimous audience at the Boniface Centre which was also strongly in favour. We must take his word that "this is a very genuine consultation". I visited Crediton Hospital last week to find the whole in-patient area as silent as a morgue, locked and closed off - a deeply sad situation. We are told that this closure is only temporary, however plans are already afoot to turn the bed area into a so-called "Hub", but crucially we are not told whether that would exclude a viable number of in-patient beds being re-instated next year, perhaps in the form of a link with the hard-pressed Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital. There have been two interesting reports recently from the Royal College of Physicians Hospital Commission and from last month's "Five Year Forward View" from NHS England (British Medical Journal, November 22, 2014, page 10). Both reports recommend "setting up networks so that specialist care can be given locally, supported by experts at different hospitals". They should "ensure patients get access to the best care but also minimise the need for travel, delays and hazardous handovers between providers". That is exactly the argument for keeping Crediton Hospital as an in-patient hospital near to patients' homes, including an improvement of outpatient and "Care Closer to Home" facilities. Importantly, with regard to any future "Hub" proposals we must be on our guard against "Mickey Mouse" schemes that merely try to fill the vacant areas at the Hospital rather than restoring 16 in-patient beds and providing robust out-patient specialist services that will reduce patients' problems with travel and parking difficulties. People of Crediton arise, pick up your pens, cut out the form in page four and URGENTLY write your views, before it is too late, to: Dr Joe Mays, NHS Northern, Eastern and Western (NEW) Devon Commissioning Group, Newcourt House, Old Rydon Lane, Exeter EX2 7JU. Alternatively email: [email protected]">[email protected] . Dr. Christopher Maycock Neopardy Crediton