Hospital campaign: next steps & organising meeting
I don’t remember what I said to make everyone laugh, but …
1. It was agreed to ask all supporters to write to Dr Sarah Wollaston, the chair of the ICB, to support our case (she is the former MP for Totnes and former Chair of the Health Select Committee).
Email her at d-icb.corporateservices@nhs.net or write to Dr Sarah Wollaston, Chair, NHS Devon Integrated Care Board, County Hall, EXETER EX2 4QD. Mark your letter ‘for the personal attention of Dr Wollaston’ & also ‘please circulate to all members of the Board’.
2. There will be a protest outside Health Scrutiny at County Hall on Thursday 9 November, 9.30-10.30. We will be joining with Teignmouth whose hospital is also being discussed at Scrutiny. The meeting starts at 10.30 and we will then all go inside, where Jack Rowland and I will be presenting the Seaton case at the beginning of the meeting (you don’t necessarily have to stay for their discussion which may be quite a bit later). WE NEED TO ORGANISE CARS & PLACARDS (HOME-MADE WILL BE FINE).
3. We are planning a day of action on Saturday 18 November. The current proposal is to leaflet and collect signatures for a petition in the centre of Seaton (outside Tesco and/or Aldi?), Colyton, Beer etc., but WE NEED YOUR IDEAS.
There will be an ORGANISING MEETING for these actions from 4.15-5.45 on Monday 6 November in the Old Picture House, Harbour Rd, Seaton.
Please come along if you would like to help – LET ME KNOW by email (saveseatonhospital@gmail.com) so that we have an idea of numbers. Also let me know if you’d like to help on either 9th or 18th but can’t make it on Monday.
Huge meeting sets up Seaton Hospital Steering Committee to represent local community
There were queues across the car park, people standing everywhere, some looking in through the windows, others unfortunately having to turn away. It was twice the size of the meeting in the same hall in March 2017 after they stole the hospital’s beds, and probably even bigger than one in Seaton Town Hall in late 2016 when bed cuts were first proposed.
We had fantastic contributions from all our speakers, especially Dr Mark Welland of the League of Friends (above) and Richard Foord MP, and also from around 20 people from the floor. There was complete unity on the need to save the hospital wing for use by the League, Re:store and other local groups promoting health and wellbeing (for example, for a palliative care service), and for this to be done by renting or even buying the wing – as long as this is at minimal cost, since the local community paid in full for building the wing in the first place.
We unanimously established a Seaton Hospital Steering Committee to fully represent the local community in all matters relating to the future of the hospital. As organiser of the meeting and de facto acting secretary for the committee, I will write to the ICB and NHS Property Services, who declined to attend, to inform them of its outcome.
Further campaigning details will follow in another post. Email saveseatonhospital@gmail.com to receive campaign mailings, or follow this blog where they will also be posted.
NHS Property Services statement on eve of Colyford meeting
Property Services’ James page sent me this statement overnight:
NHSPS and Devon ICB met with Richard Foord MP and the CEO of Seaton and District Hospital League of Friends this week.
All rental valuations undertaken by NHSPS are in line with current market practice, and we engage with our customers directly to explore options and assist with lease terms where there may be potential financial difficulties. We remain committed to working closely with Devon ICB to help them address the ongoing issue of void space costs and finding a satisfactory resolution.
NHS refuses to attend Seaton Hospital public meeting – please make sure you’re there!
The Devon NHS Integrated Care Board (ICB), who decided without public consultation to hand back a 2-storey wing of Seaton Hospital to the NHS Property Services company, have refused to send a speaker to address tomorrow’s public meeting (in Colyford Memorial Hall at 1.30). Property Services have also declined to attend.
Both Richard Foord MP and the League of Friends tell me that yesterday afternoon’s meeting with the ICB and Property Services produced no new way forward on the issue. At the ICB’s request, Paul Arnott, leader of EDDC, Jack Rowland and myself were all excluded from the meeting, which took place on Zoom although Richard had requested a site meeting.
Richard and the League will report in person at tomorrow’s meeting, which must now address the next steps. Please make sure you’re there!
No wonder Boris Johnson hid when he came to Seaton
Seaton’s population is almost 45 per cent over the age of 65 – which is one of the reasons we need our hospital. But according to Boris Johnson, that means we should have been left to die from Covid. No wonder he hid at at the furthest end of Seaton beach when he popped in during the 2019 election!
Hospital campaign begins with meeting of 40 in Beer
An excellent start to the campaign as forty people from Beer and Branscombe turned up to show their concern about the threat to the hospital. The meeting called by Cllr John Heath heard from Richard Foord MP, Paul Arnott, Jack Rowland and myself. We were all determined to block any sell-off, closure or demolition of any part of the building.
BE A BRICK
You’ll see that this site has been renamed and my portrait has been replaced by a brick with the above words on it.
This photo shows the small commemorative brick given to each of the thousands who donated to the building of Seaton Hospital 30 years ago. The other side of the brick says HELP SEATON & DISTRICT HOSPITAL.
It needs your help again – BE A BRICK, come to the meeting on Friday, and support the campaign in the coming weeks.
Our community paid for ALL the bricks in the wing they want to sell off – don’t let them get away with it!
Breaking: Richard Foord secures Adjournment Debate on Seaton Hospital
From East Devon Watch:
Richard Foord has secured an Adjournment Debate early in the new parliament. These last half an hour and provide an opportunity for an individual backbench MP to raise an issue and receive a response from the relevant Minister. Monday, 13 November 2023: Upcoming business http://www.theyworkforyou.com Commons: Main Chamber Debate on the Address Seaton Community Hospital…
— Read on eastdevonwatch.org/2023/10/27/breaking-richard-foord-secures-adjournment-debate-on-seaton-hospital/
Seaton Heights fire shows we were right to save Colyton fire station
I was caught up in the traffic dislocation on Seaton Down Hill – I had to go back via Seaton to pick up my brother from Axminster station (although I arrived late, the train was later still, as usual).
Now I realise how serious the blaze was I’m just thinking how fortunate it was that we still had the Colyton fire crew as well as Seaton’s. There’s no substitute for truly local facilities and trained personnel, and we must fight for them.
A fire has broken out at the derelict Seaton Heights site. Fire crews from across the South West have been sent to the scene on Monday following the …
Massive fire breaks out at derelict holiday camp
Seaton & Colyton MATTERS 