THE Holsworthy Community Hospital Stakeholder Group is appealing for patients to contact them if they feel that their healthcare needs have not been met or are being compromised because of the lack of inpatient beds at the hospital, writes Christine Williams.

Hospital beds were temporarily closed last March. The stakeholder group has been fighting to have them reopened. The group includes representatives of the town — the mayor of Holsworthy, Cllr Jon Hutchings, district and county councils, patients and hospital Friends, as well as Northern Devon Healthcare Trust personnel.

Holsworthy’s representatives said they are trying to maintain pressure on NDHT to open them as soon as possible.

Geoff Cusick, a member of the group who lives in Holsworthy, and who has had 36 years in the NHS working as head of department at University College Hospital in London, is preparing a portfolio of evidence to put before NDHT. He said: “If you, or a friend or relative feel that care in the community hospital would have been better, but was not available, we would like to hear from you.”

Mr Cusick said they felt frustrated by what he described as ‘the lack of urgency’ by the NDHT.

Dr Alison Dymond, the chief executive of the Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust is to retire at the end of March 2018.

Mr Cusick can be contacted on [email protected]