League of Friends conceeds beds are gone for good but calls for more day case treatments to mitigate the loss

Axminster must accept the closure of its hospital beds and concentrate on re-establishing day case treatment there.

That is what League of Friends’ chairman Dr Phil Taylor told members at their annual general meeting, in The Guildhall, on Friday.

He said: “Your committee agreed that, having fully engaged in the battle over beds, it was time to accept the inevitable and work constructively to ensure that the communities which we serve saw the development of other services which we hoped would mitigate this loss.

“Specifically, we would like to see the re-establishing of day case treatments at Axminster Hospital. This would mean that people who need blood transfusions, infusions for osteoporosis treatments and other intravenous treatments could have these in Axminster. We are also hoping that chemotherapy treatments might also become available locally as well.

“Progress on this has been impeded by the interminable process of contract transfer of the community hospitals - and other services - from Northern Devon Healthcare Trust (NDHT) to the Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust.

“We are also keen that people who are at the end of their lives can be looked after in our community when it is appropriate, the ability to do this having been diminished by the loss of our in-patient beds.

“We have been working with NDHT to see if we can establish two temporary care home beds but perhaps, more excitingly, we are working with the Exeter and District Hospice on extending the Seaton Hospice at Home service into the rest of the Axe Valley.”