THE message coming out of Okehampton following the news that the Northern, Eastern and Western Devon Clinical Commissioning Group (NEW Devon CCG) intends to close all 16 in-patient beds at Okehampton Community Hospital is a clear and resounding one — ’Save Our Beds’.

On Wednesday, September 21 the NEW Devon CCG unveiled plans to cut half of the inpatient beds in their Eastern Locality, which includes all 16 beds in Okehampton. The current 143 beds across the locality’s hospitals are to be reduced to 72 beds located at three hospitals instead of the seven used at present.

The CCG is considering four options which would keep beds at Tiverton Hospital and two other hospitals out of Sidmouth, Exmouth, Seaton or Whipton.

Since they were unveiled last night, the plans have been widely panned. Several critics of the plans stood outside Okehampton Hospital this morning, raising the importance of the town’s hospital beds.

Among those to stand outside the hospital this morning were Okehampton County and Borough Councillor Kevin Ball with fellow borough councillors Cllr Lois Samuel, Cllr Mike Davies and Cllr Julie Yelland as well as town mayor Cllr Jan Goffey.

Cllr Kevin Ball, Devon County Councillor for Okehampton Rural, said: ’This is absolutely unacceptable. To take beds away from a growing town when operations are already being cancelled at Derriford because of the lack of community-based beds for patients to go to recover makes absolutely no sense.

’I understand and recognise that savings have got to be made. However, to offer a consultation on the potential solutions the CCG have provided — which offer no support to Okehampton or communities this side of Exeter — is utterly ridiculous. In my view, the consultation is starting from the wrong position.

’Okehampton is a growing town and so is Tavistock. For a patient who needs a community hospital to potentially be in a bed as far away as Sidmouth is ludicrous. It puts an unwanted pressure on families to travel to visit loved ones.’

West Devon Borough Councillor for Okehampton North Cllr Mike Davies said: ’This is yet another hit for Okehampton. With the projected growth of the town we cannot afford to be losing hospital services. This is a step too far from the NHS. The Clinical Commissioning Group appears to be a law unto itself.’

Okehampton Mayor Cllr Jan Goffey said the move was ’absolutely appalling’.

She said: ’It seems the decision was made some time ago. The consultation period is for the CCG to talk to people and inform them and explain the decision, not to change it.

’With no in-patient beds in Okehampton, people will die. It’s as simple as that. I’m allergic to wasp stings — if I got stung in the neck I wouldn’t make it to Exeter or one of the other hospitals. Where are elderly people who need care going to go? It is absolutely appalling. It is the privatisation of medicine through the back door. It shouldn’t be happening.

’The NHS is hiring all sorts of highly-paid consultants to carry out these studies. What we need to be spending the money on is ground staff, our wards, our nurses. We need our hospitals.

’Okehampton Medical Centre has 14,400 patients enlisted. That is obviously not just from the town but Okehampton Hamlets, the villages and surrounding areas. It is vital to have our hospital. We’ve been given reassurances in the past about the minor injuries unit returning to the hospital and our wards being safe but it was all for nothing.’