A REDUCTION in the number of hospital beds and community hospital sites in Cornwall could be on the cards, according to a recently published outline plan looking at health service transformation over the next five years — and now the public is being asked for their views.

The local Sustainability and Transformation Plan (STP), published by health and care organisations in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, is a response to the NHS England Five Year Forward View and Devolution Deal for Cornwall.

Its aims are said to be improving the health and wellbeing of the local population; improving the quality of local health and care services; delivering financial stability in the local health and care system.

The ‘Taking Control, Shaping our Future’ engagement document states: “In 21st century Britain more people are using urgent and emergency care than ever before.

“In Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly we have 14 Minor Injury Units or Urgent Care Centres operated by three different providers. The clinical skills, services on offer, opening times and facilities are different at each. Thinly spread resources can lead to closures in Minor Injury Units at short notice and many of the buildings have seen better days.”

The document goes on to say the transformation board wants to ‘adapt community hospitals so that they become community hubs which offer multiple services and prevent or reduce acute hospital visits.’

It adds: “This may mean a reduction in sites and concentrating services in better locations because we expect changes in community services to reduce the need for community hospital beds.

“We also need to address the significant cost of community hospitals with many in a poor state of repair and needing major investment. We would prefer not to spend money on old buildings and instead invest that money in clinicians providing direct patient care. Working with local people we want to review community hospital provision and bring forward proposals for change in 2017.”

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.