Ashburton Buckfastleigh Community Hospital Respondents

You may wish to look at this link final paragraph:
http://www.devon.gov.uk/index/councildemocracy/decision_making/cma/cma_document.htm?cmadoc=agenda_she_20130306.html

Consultation Feed Back for Ashburton Buckfastleigh Community Hospital Future - Part2

Thank you to all residents both of Ashburton, Buckfastleigh and further afield who have told me of their, or their family experiences of our Cottage Hospital.

The consultation period may have ended, but my intuition tells me the whole process isn't going to go away, nor be forgotten.

We still have the Board Meeting due 21st March to attend. As far as I can see no venue has as yet been given, although some one there may know otherwise. The link to the Trust page about this is at:

http://www.torbaycaretrust.nhs.uk/aboutus/make_decisions/board/Pages/Default.aspx

Buckfastleigh Neighbourhood Policing report – January 2013

Over the past month there have been 58 incidents reported to us from Buckfastleigh.
We have had 13 crimes reported to us from the town which include 1 assault,  1 theft from motor vehicle offence,  1 offence for possessing cannabis, 6 criminal damage incidents,  3 thefts and 1 burglary offence.  The theft from a motor vehicle offence related to the spare wheel being stolen from  trailer that was attached to the rear of  a car.
During a neighbour dispute two males have been cautioned for criminal damage and a public order offence. One male has been dealt with by way of restorative justice for the assault a female received a warning for possession of cannabis.
We have received numerous calls from people in the Teignbridge area and further afield with regards to males travelling across the patch selling power tools from their vehicles.  Several of these vehicles have been stopped by colleagues and the occupants and items checked.  None were found to be stolen but they are being investigated by Trading Standards. If you are offered any of these power tools please be cautious prior to purchase.  Just remember if things are too good to be true (price wise) then they may be too good to be true....................................
No crimes were reported to us from the Dean Prior area.  4 incidents were reported to us, 2 related to the A38, boy racers in the area and suspicious males selling power tools.
From the West Buckfastleigh area we have had no crimes reported to us.  There were 2 incidents reported to us, one being a hoax call and the other related to a domestic incident.
From Holne we have had 1 crime reported to us which was the theft of a leaf blower. There were 3 incidents reported to us.  One was a neighbour issue, another related to the hunt and loose hounds whilst the last was in regards to an insecure vehicle.
Police surgeries will be held at Buckfastleigh Town Hall 7.30pm – 8.30pm on the following dates - 
Wednesday 27th February 2013
Wednesday 27th March 2013
We can be contacted via the central switchboard no. 101 or via e-mail – Teignbridge@devonandcornwall.pnn.police.uk
PC 4939 Alison HOOPER,  PCSO 30577  Tamzin CAMPBELL-MOSELEY

ASHBURTON NEIGHBOURHOOD REPORT - JANUARY 2013

During the past month 68 incidents were reported from Ashburton. 10 of these concerned the A38 – including a car driving the wrong way on a slip road and a further 5 were traffic related incidents in the town itself.

4 incidents of anti-social behaviour were reported.

19 crimes were recorded which include 5 thefts offences, 2 reports of assaults and 3 criminal damage incidents.  One of these related to what we suspect to be children messing around in an old vehicle parked close to a garage.  A small fire resulted and thankfully the damage caused was minor.  Local youngsters will be interviewed over this issue. 1 burglary was reported to us which related to a retail premises where a safe containing cash was stolen.  This is being actively investigated by Totnes CID.

From  Widecombe 4 incidents were reported. These included a road traffic collision at Poundsgate on 18^th January and a report of threatening behaviour associated with a hunt just outside the village on 12^th January.  A power line down across the road meant that Widecombe Hill was closed to traffic for two hours on the afternoon on 29^th January. 2 crimes were recorded. These were a theft of a handbag from a car at Newbridge on 13^th January and a report of an assault at an address in Ponsworthy.

From  Bickington 5 incidents were reported, all were traffic related including two reports of animals on the A383. No crimes were reported.

We have been paying particular attention to issues regarding parking around Ashburton Primary School at ‘drop off’ and ‘pick up’ times. This has been an issue for a long time and the school have been worried about the volume of traffic in this area at key times and the lack of thoughtfulness exhibited by some people when it comes to parking their vehicles.  We have been asking people to not park on the double yellow lines and have done our best to keep the area clear, and hence safer for the children.  We would like to see more parents either walking to collect their children or use the car parking facilities in Kingsbridge Lane Car park.

We have also maintained our patrols of the town in the evenings to deal with the behaviour displayed by a minority of youngster.  

My next Police surgery is at the Ashburton Information Centre on Tuesday 19^th February from 10-11am.

I can be contacted at Conway House, Ashburton – please use the central switchboard no. 101 or alternatively e-mail the Neighbourhood Team – Teignbridge@devonandcornwall.pnn.police.uk

                                                                                                 PC 4486 Dudley

Consultation Feed Back for Ashburton Buckfastleigh Community Hospital Future

A personal response sent to TSDH  NHS Care Trust

Question 1 - Bearing in mind the information within the consultation document where would you like to see inpatient care* provided for people from communities in and around Ashburton, Buckfastleigh and Bovey Tracey?

None of the above are acceptable. The Board need to understand that there is a distinct difference between Ashburton/Buckfastleigh Hospital and Bovey Tracey, and that it is disingenuous to put both together.  

A&B Community Hospital was provided by public subscription 120 years ago and run through public subscription for many years. Today it has an active League of Friends, and because of its proximity within the Town is easily accessible both by residents of Ashburton and Buckfastleigh and surrounding areas that it serves.

Despite what many residents concerns regarding the flawed nature of the consultation, and the lack of information provided at two packed public meetings, residents made it clear both to TSDH care trust officers and the  CCG present that they overwhelmingly wished the hospital in beds to remain.

Before any decision can be made regarding whether better health care can be provided at Newton Abbot hospital, perhaps all the facts and figures regarding the cost to running Ashburton Buckfastleigh and Newton Abbot could be made available, and how any savings made would actually be used. To date there has been no business plan provided that maps out what improvements there would be to the ‘care in the community’ both meetings were told about, and no explanation as to why the CQC web site does not site Ashburton Buckfastleigh Hospital as being not fit for purpose.

At the Buckfastleigh meeting the director for Estates made reference to a Plan B which involved moving beds from Torbay to Newton Abbot hospital - this option needs to be brought forward to the public. Assertions were also made about the building and its facilities, which would appear to be cosmetic rather than clinical.

No BIA (Business Impact Assessment) was provided at the meetings, and such an assessment would need to consider both the dedication of the staff and the concerns we all have about the travel arrangements to and from Ashburton, Buckfastleigh and our surrounding communities - which to date have been presented as a discussion point, but no actual solutions.

Keeping beds at Ashburton Buckfastleigh Community Hospital must be the preferred option.

Question 2 - What are the most important things to you, or to your family, when it comes to inpatient care? (Please tick the three options that you feel are the most important)

The options as posed in the question make assumptions that those options are the only ones available and that Torbay Hospital is the hospital of choice.

Patients have the ability to chose the hospital of choice, and certain conditions may dictate that specialist hospitals outside the area are more appropriate.

The options do not list the quality of care offered and the CQC web site contains some interesting information on this and hospitals.  Residents of Ashburton Buckfastleigh want to be able to visit and receive visits from family and friends. They want a hospital ward to be friendly staffed by caring individuals, and with more elderly patients an assurance that their dignity is not subject to abuse or compromise in any way. They wish to see that the after care follows seamlessly from GP to hospital to care in the community to GP. It is regrettable that  this option is missing.

Question 3 - If inpatient services were transferred to Newton Abbot Community Hospital, we would be able to accommodate a range of new local services in the vacated space. Which services would you like to see provided for local communities from Ashburton, Buckfastleigh, Bovey Tracey and the surrounding areas?

Again as at answer to question 1 it is disingenuous to put Ashburton Buckfastleigh and Bovey Tracey together. They are separate communities with their own identities and aspirations.

As yet the case for inpatients services going to Newton Abbot has not been proven, and it is surely the job of the Clinical Commissioning Group to decide what services they wish to commission where, and tender for suppliers.

It is also incumbent of the Care Trust to consider what services it is able to supply in the location with inpatients beds in-situ and add value to the hospital for the community rather than step down the offer.

Teignbridge welcomes funding boost to lift vulnerable people out of fuel poverty

Some of the most vulnerable and in need residents are set to benefit from valuable support to make their homes warmer and cheaper to heat after Teignbridge District Council secured a £55,000 Government grant.

The Council's bid to help lift those out of fuel poverty has been given a major boost with the funding from the Department of Energy and Climate Change's Fuel Poverty Fund (DECC).

The money - aimed at those living in more rural areas and park home residents - will play a crucial role in allowing the Council to offer new ways of helping to make sure the homes are well insulated and as energy efficient as possible so fuel costs are reduced.

The Council currently provides capital funding for loft and cavity wall insulation, heating and external wall insulation for park homes.

The £55,000 will complement what was already on offer with additional measures to help heat the homes of those people who are most in need. They include heating controls, floor insulation, replacement heating, cylinder jackets, pipe lagging, secondary glazing and draught proofing.

Practical advice will also be on offer including promoting long-term behavioural changes such as shopping around suppliers of the best tariff or joining a collective oil buying scheme.

Help will be provided to those who are in receipt of a means tested benefit or long term disability benefit, or are aged 70 or over or have a children under six years old and are in fuel poverty. People who qualify for assistance will be able to apply for a loan or grant assistance, subject to the cost of works.

The funding comes after surveys of both park homes residents and residents in rural areas found that, in Teignbridge, there are almost 9,000 people (16.3%) considered to be living in fuel poverty, rising to 26% in rural areas.

A Rural Housing Survey conducted in 2011 found that 26% of residents were in fuel poverty with 43% of those fuel-poor homes occupied by people aged 70 and over. Many households had boilers that were over 10 years old and some did not have any kind of heating controls or draft proofing.

Teignbridge has more park homes than the whole of Devon put together with 1,154 residents living in 46 sites across the district. It has a lot of experience in assisting people improve the insulation of their park home.

A 2012 Park Home Survey found that 58% of residents do not have their home fully insulated, over 65% use fuel other than gas to heat their home and 81% don't have a room thermostat. The majority of residents - 93% - are over 65 with 71% living on an income of less than £15,000 and 59% are in receipt of Council Tax Benefit.

Cllr Philip Vogel, Teignbridge District Council's Executive Spokesperson for Housing and Planning, said:

"We are absolutely thrilled our funding bid was successful. This money will go a long way in helping those people who are most in need and the positive knock-on effects are huge.

"The fuel poverty figures speak for themselves. We must take action to help those who need it most and make sure we are giving them all the assistance they need to make sure their homes are fuel-rich instead of fuel-poor.

"It's simple: warmer homes mean cheaper energy bills. The less money that is spent on fuel, the more income people have to spend on things they really need, or want. No one wants - nor should they feel they have to - scrape every penny together simply to keep themselves and their families warm.

"The Council's Plan 2011 - 2015 puts housing as one of its top priorities. Through that we are committed to making sure we give our residents the best possible help and advice on how they can reduce their energy costs. We've already carried out a lot of work to make sure people are living in homes with a reasonable standard of warmth - something many of us take for granted.

"This money supports the interventions already in place with some extra add-ons. Not only will their homes become more energy efficient but health hazards due to excess cold are identified and dealt with. There are also wider benefits with better heated properties meaning an improved housing stock."

The Council has already invested £20,000 in its Housing Options for Older People service, £40,000 of capital money to improve the insulation of park homes and £20,000 in tackling fuel poverty through home energy visits and measures to improve the energy efficiency of homes.  

The project will link in with other initiatives currently ongoing in Teignbridge including the Council's Housing Options for Older People project, Devon County Council's Staying Warm and Well scheme and the Park Homes project, overseen by the Citizen's Advice Bureau.

Residents who are in fuel poverty and on a low income will be offered a free benefits eligibility check in order to maximise income.

In a further boost, Teignbridge is one of four Councils to benefit from further funding from the Department of Energy and Climate Change to encourage more eco-friendly households.

North Devon Council successfully bid for £500,000 money on behalf of North Devon, Teignbridge, Torridge and Mendip District Councils to support the launch of the Green Deal, which is the Government's new plan to help households improve their homes and save on energy bills.

The local money will fund a project called HEAT (Home Energy Action Taskforce), with the support of energy efficiency specialist and Green Deal pioneer, Enact Energy. This will see local businesses and community groups being trained to help deliver free Green Deal assessments over the next three months, while raising awareness of the assessment offer. 

The aim of the project is to increase energy efficiency measures being installed at homes across the region, such as loft and cavity insulation, new boilers or solid wall insulation.

It will kick-start the Green Deal in Teignbridge with around 2,500 free home assessments being carried out from now until March. These assessments will identify where energy savings can be made in the home.

The local energy scheme is one of 132 projects across Great Britain to be awarded a share of £46 million today.

Energy Secretary Edward Davey said:

"We need to find new ways to help people with their energy bills, working with communities and councils across the country. The projects we are funding will help people save energy and save money: helping the most vulnerable to heat their homes, getting the Green Deal market up and running and encouraging people to switch energy suppliers to get their bills down."

To find out more call Teignbridge District Council's Home Energy Officer Zoe Farmer 01626 215764 or visit www.teignbridge.gov.uk

For more information about the HEAT Project in Devon call 0800 093 4050

http://www.teignbridge.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=16954