Cllr Douglas Hellier Laing, of Clifford Street, Chudleigh, district councillor Chudleigh Ward, writes:

David Halpin comments in his letter of December 25, about the most recent Chudleigh town council meeting. His comments about Cllr Evans I will leave her to respond to, but I would like to expand upon his comments where he refers to me.

Mr Halpin is a retired medical practicioner and as such, it is always interesting to hear his comments on current medical practice and the changes it is undergoing.

I attend the Clinical Commissioning Group’s meetings held at Bovey Tracey town hall as the representative for Cllr Sylvia Russell, who is the Teignbridge executive member with the portfolio for health and wellbeing. I also attend in my own right as a member of the local community with an interest in medical matters, particularly mental health.

Mr Halpin rightly notes I spoke at the town council meeting, and spoke in favour of Bovey Tracey Hospital perhaps having a different function to its original one of dealing with those in need of medical care, both chronic and acute.

Communities have invested time, money and emotion in their cottage hospitals. if their role is to change, I believe that it should be possible for them to be used for a similar function, but one that might not need the highly-professional skills of registered nurses but of care assistants under the supervision of one or two qualified nurses. This may be in the form of a convalescent facility, or even a half-way facility, to enable patients to move out of much-needed hospital beds and allow the community care staff to arrange their return home in a more leisurely and considered way.

I have also suggested that the Clinical Commissioning Group might look at all the cottage hospitals within the area, to consider if one of them could be commissioned as a Young Persons’ Mental Health Facility. This vulnerable group of people with severe mental illness are poorly served by the NHS and we in Devon end up sending them at great cost, both in financial and emotional terms, to specialist units around the country.

Many of our Members of Parliament in the south west have echoed my concerns and have made representation to the health minister to look urgently at this aberration and to act.

The local Clinical Commissioning Group have a real challenge in adapting current medical services to make them fit for the future. The meetings they hold with interested parties are to be applauded, and I am sure Mr Halpin will welcome the efforts to keep the community informed as they progress.

Standing still without change is not a feasible option. We have to consider how we can use these buildings to benefit the community, and the best way is to do as the Clinical Commissioning Group is doing, by consultation.