TWO local representatives on the Holsworthy Hospital Stakeholder Group have stepped down amid fears the Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust (NDHT) has ‘no intent to reopen the beds’ in the town’s community hospital.

Following the news, a NDHT spokesperson confirmed the Trust has decided the temporary closure of the inpatient beds at Holsworthy Community Hospital, which was put in place in March last year, ‘would need to be extended’.

The stakeholder group was set up last year by the Trust to engage with representatives from the town and hospital in order to tackle some of the issues it set out as ‘reasons for temporary closure’.

These were: Sustained reliance on agency staff to cover staff sickness and maintain safe staffing levels; Prolonged and continued recruitment difficulties due to national skill shortages; Continued low bed occupancy.

Mayor of Holsworthy Jon Hutchings and Devon County Councillor Barry Parsons submitted their joint resignations to the independent chair of the stakeholder group, Steve Holt, on Wednesday, January 24.

Cllr Parsons was first to step down after he felt ‘sufficient progress in a positive direction’ was not being made by the group.

He said: “I’ve not been happy for a while as I didn’t feel the stakeholder group was making sufficient progress in a positive direction. I contacted Jon and told him of my intentions and he agreed to follow suit as he felt the same way.

“Now we have stepped out we feel it gives us a greater freedom to discuss the real issues and hopefully come to a satisfactory conclusion for Holsworthy and the surrounding area.”

Cllr Parsons said he decided it was time to step away from the stakeholder group because of the growing unease he felt over the Trust’s ‘shift in focus’ and the constricting nature of its ‘terms of reference’, which prohibited members from disclosing information discussed during meetings to the public.

In his resignation letter he said: “In stepping down I do hold regret that the ‘issues of safety’ upon which the closure primarily rested transgressed to ultimate focus into issues of a ‘lack of need’ for the hospital beds.

“For me, I fear, this is an avenue not unknown nor uncommon across the [NHS] country and which I struggle to accept. I am afraid this matter is something for which I have wrestled alongside feeling constrained when being asked by residents about any progress towards re-opening of the beds.”

He said the next step for him will be to address concerns with leadership: “For me, this is not about criticising NHS staff — they do everything and more that we ask of them and I can’t thank them enough for the wonderful work they do in what are difficult times for the NHS nationally.

“Following the recent damning CQC (Care Quality Commission) report, the impending departure of the NDHT chief executive and a ‘vote of no confidence’ being lodged, I believe what we need to be looking at are the ways in which leadership do things.”

He added: “I raised this issue at County Hall last week, imploring the committee to fully engage in ensuring the leadership of NDHT take this matter seriously, and I have already organised a meeting with the CCG (Clinical Commissioning Group), which we hope will be positive.”

Cllr Hutchings was eager to address his reasons for leaving the group.

In an open letter to the public he wrote: “We had our first group meeting in July and each month thereafter. It became very clear that the main aim of the group was to source patients for the beds at the hospital rather than safety issues due to staffing levels.

“I was somewhat concerned that finding patients for a hospital seemed an impossible task. I, along with other representatives from the community, had no background regarding patients or in fact the NHS.”

He said the group had suggested the Trust negotiate with third parties, like local doctors/GPs, in order to resolve this issue but that this was ‘never taken up by them’.

Cllr Hutchings said he was left in ‘disbelief’ when the Trust announced at the last stakeholder group meeting he attended that it would ‘no longer consider reopening beds until at least April’.

He said: “The chief executive Alison Diamond told a meeting with over 350 local residents in April last year the hospital would reopen but it would take three to six months.”

Cllr Hutchings told the Post he is ‘disappointed’ in the outcome but says he is positive that he and Cllr Parsons, along with a separate group of local representatives which formed prior to the stakeholder group, will be able to do more to help the hospital now they are free of the Trust’s terms of reference.

He said: “We feel we can achieve more by speaking with the CCG then we can with the Trust and that is our reason for leaving.

“I’m a lot freer to challenge what the Trust say as an independent compared to when I was a part of the group because I am no longer constricted by their terms of reference.”

In response to the two resignations from the stakeholder group Andy Ibbs, director of operations and strategy at NDHT, said: “It has been extremely valuable to have the input of all the members of the stakeholder group over the past months. Since July they have supported and overseen the action plan we agreed with NEW Devon CCG to address the safety concerns that led to the temporary closure of inpatient beds at Holsworthy Hospital.

“We feel that we have all come away with a stronger understanding of health services and health needs in the Holsworthy community and surrounding areas, and we’d like to thank everyone who has been part of the group for all their support. We would not be where we are today without the honest, open challenges of each valuable member and the guidance of the independent chairman.

“Together we have exhausted all available avenues to address the safety concerns that are in the gift of NDHT to carry out under the current model of care. At the last stakeholder meeting we agreed that the temporary closure would need to be extended to allow NEW Devon CGG time to consider the next steps.

“We appreciate that the lack of a final outcome at this stage may be frustrating and understand that this has caused two members of the group to stand down. NDHT will continue to support the work in Holsworthy and will contribute to any ongoing plans for engagement with the CCG.”

A spokesperson for NDHT said: “When we spoke at the meeting called by the town council, we were clear that the issue of occupancy would need to be addressed first, and if we were able to address this, then we would work up plans to staff the inpatient unit.”

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