Meeting at Dartmouth Hospital and with Dartmouth Medical Practice
A further tour of Dartmouth hospital, which has just reopened following the so called ‘deep cleaning' exercise currently doing the rounds in South Devon.
Dartmouth Hospital has 16 beds, down from 22 beds 5 years ago. It also benefits from occupational therapy and a minor injuries department 7 days per week between 8am and 10pm. It has a daycare unit and Xray open for 2 half days per week. Physiotherapy services visit from Kingsbridge and Totnes and, thanks to pressure from the community and staff at the Medical centre, a much valued paediatric clinic has just been reprieved.
Staff would like to be able to increase their ability to admit local patients and prevent the need for unnecessary admissions to hospitals further afield. We desperately need community hospitals to be paid a fair share of the cost of a patient's total hospital stay. In the past, many people would have been transferred to a community hospital bed to recuperate after surgery, thus reducing the risk of acquired infections and allowing visitors to provide support and encouragement. This no longer happens due to the madness of hospital tariff arrangements.
Community hospitals are a vital part of the Health Service, but unless we fight to keep local services, they will always be at risk, particularly with a predicted shortfall of over £30 million for NHS Devon in the coming financial year.
