NORTHERN Devon Healthcare NHS Trust has begun a staff consultation in the remainder of its community hospitals - including Crediton - about standardising the support functions of catering, portering and cleaning – known as "hotel services".

The Trust is consulting with staff on the options for ensuring that standards for patients are uniformly high, based on common policies, provision and training, and to improve efficiency whilst protecting front-line services at a time of tight public spending.

All hotel services staff based at the community hospital will be involved in the consultation with one-to-one meetings with managers and supported by their union representative.

Jac Kelly, chief executive, said: "We are confident that by engaging with staff from the beginning and listening to their career aspirations we can minimise any redundancies and offer new opportunities for staff.

"We have been filling vacancies with fixed term contracts for some months to protect the employment of those staff who have been with us for a long time."

The Trust conducted the same consultation with staff in the northern Devon community hospitals in 2008, including Bideford, Ilfracombe, Holsworthy, South Molton and Torrington and they now work to common policies and procedures.

The hospitals involved in the second phase are those that transferred to the Trust in 2011: Axminster, Seaton, Sidmouth, Budleigh Salterton, Exmouth, Ottery St Mary, Honiton, Tiverton, Crediton, Exeter (Whipton), Moretonhampstead and Okehampton.

The outcome in northern Devon was that the community hospitals retained their "excellent" or "good rating" for both cleanliness and food in the annual PEAT inspections, which form a major part of assessment by the Care Quality Commission.

In addition, affected staff were offered the choice of moving to new jobs in administration or clinical areas, with very few redundancies.

Those hospitals are now well supported by multi-skilled teams of "hotel services staff" and with meals delivered for final preparation on site.