RESIDENTS do not want to see Launceston Hospital close, councillors stressed to NHS staff last week.

Those that attended Launceston Community Network Panel on December 15 listened to a talk by Karen Kay, director of integrated care at the Kernow Clinical Commissioning Group, about ‘shaping the future’ of health services in the county.

She gave a presentation on the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Health and Social Care Plan, on which health bosses are currently seeking the public’s opinions. The Post reported last week that the ‘Taking Control, Shaping our Future’ engagement document, which is available on Cornwall Council’s website along with the full draft outline business case, suggests that there could be a reduction in the number of hospital beds and community hospital sites in Cornwall.

Ms Kay stressed the plan has not been written yet, and that they ‘don’t want to set out the plan behind closed doors’.

“We are coming to you now to say these are our ideas, I want to hear yours,” she said.

“The plan won’t be finished until we have finished that consultation process.”

She explained that it is a five year plan, with aims to ‘improve health and wellbeing, improve quality of health and care and improve financial stability’.

Of current services, she said: “We don’t get the best outcomes always for our people. Sometimes they are not getting as much help as they need in their homes. Some of those services are really overstretched. On top of that we are overspending.

“Some of us are not as healthy as we ought to be. Some parts of our county are deprived neighbourhoods with not good housing, low employment, resulting in ill health and demand on services.”

Ms Kay said some consultation has already taken place, with 3,000 responses from people who had attended similar meetings. She said the feedback was people wanted ‘quick and easy access to services and they want it at the right time in the right place, and they want staff who are caring and competent’. She added people also want ‘coordinated’ care, adding: “They don’t want to have to speak to five different people.”

She said they need to ‘make sure we get urgent care centres in the right place’, but added: “We think there need to be less of those, but we need to work out the service you want from and urgent care service and where you want that to be.

“One of the questions we will be asking in the future down the line is what do you want in an urgent care centre. How far do you think is appropriate to travel to one of those?

“We won’t be able to keep everything we have got now operating in the same way — it won’t meet the demands future generations put on it.”

Joan Heaton of St Stephen by Launceston Rural Parish Council said she is ‘all for public consultation’, but added: “My parishioners are only worried about a couple of things — closure of the local hospital, GP services, and also the fact they might have to go to Derriford and how do they get there without transport?

“While we want to be consulted we want you to inform us and do the best you can for us.”

Ms Kay said: “We are surrounded by a lot of experts. We have had a lot of clinical input into it.

“The real importance of the engagement is understanding what’s important to local people and understanding the exact need of that area.”

Liberal Democrat Cornwall Councillor for Launceston South, Jade Farrington, added: “We need our hospital here. We don’t get buses. People in rural areas also look to Launceston.

“If you take one thing away with you tonight it’s we need Launceston Hospital to stay open with services in our town.”

The public can have their say until January 20, either by completing a survey or attending a community event.

The survey can be completed online or downloaded from www.cornwall.gov.uk/shapethefuture, where the public engagement document as well as the full draft outline business case can be viewed. Questions and comments can be emailed to [email protected]

There will be opportunity to find out more about the proposals and ask questions at Bude in the New Year, at a community event in the Parkhouse Centre on Monday, January 9, from 3pm to 4.30pm.

To register to attend email [email protected] or phone 01726 627897.

Following this period of engagement, detailed plans will be developed with consultation on any major service changes taking place from the summer 2017.