COUNCILLORS in Okehampton have voted to step up efforts to protect the town’s hospital from future threats by having it designated as an Asset of Community Value.

Town councillors voted unanimously to back mayor Jan Goffey’s proposal to apply for the official designation, which would give the council advance warning of any attempt by its owners, the National Health Service Property Services Ltd, PropCo, to sell the site.

It would also give the community the legal right to step in and buy the hospital property themselves, provided they could raise the asking price within six months.

Cllr David Weekes urged action on the issue at the full town council meeting last week.

‘I would be happy to protect the hospital now,’ said Cllr Weekes. ‘It is not going to cost us much to get this designation, and it is about safeguarding.

‘Anything we can do to safeguard the hospital, and let them know that it is important to us, has to be worth doing now, rather than dilly-dallying. They have probably made up their minds already [about whether to sell the site]. We’ve just got to stop them.’

The suggestion comes as the future of the hospital hangs in the balance, with inpatient having been closed in the summer and a question mark hanging over the future of the maternity beds, which are currently closed.

Campaigners in the town are looking to safeguard the future of the hospital, where 40 health clinics are held and which is still a base for nurses and midwives working in the community. It is run by the Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust, although its long-term future is in the hands of the Northern, Eastern and Western Devon Clinical Commissioning Group.

‘I think what we don’t want is to turn around and find the whole think has been bulldozed and 60 houses are in the process of being built,’ said Cllr Goffey. ‘They would have to notify us if it was listed as an Asset of Community Value. PropCo would have to notify us that this was what was in their minds.’

The discussion at the town council meeting came after initial talks were held between the CCG and local councillors on the future of the hospital building.

Members of the CCG met with Cllr Goffey, Okehampton county councillor Kevin Ball, district councillor the Rev Mike Davies and MP Mel Stride at Okehampton Hospital on October 27l.

‘This was a positive meeting,’ said Mr Stride. ‘It was good to see that constructive engagement is now happening between the CCG and the local community. We need to keep this going and, if we do, we look set to have a sensible action plan in place in the New Year.’

Cllr Ball also said it was an encouraging meeting, giving some assurance that the building had a future for health services.

‘It was important to get answers on the availability of the X-ray machine, which will be back and fully operational in the New Year, and get confirmation that no services currently available at the hospital will change before the completion of the needs analysis being undertaken,’ he said. ‘We must look forward and work together to get the best possible outcome for residents in Okehampton and I am encouraged by the progress being made.’

After being asked to comment by the Times on the future of the hospital building, a spokesperson for NHS Northern, Eastern and Western Devon Clinical Commissioning Group said: ‘We recognise that Okehampton is growing as a town. The Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust and NHS Northern, Eastern and Western Devon Clinical Commissioning Group are fully engaged with the community development work that local politicians have been leading (Okehampton Community Conversation – health, social care and voluntary sector stakeholders).

‘Following the CCG’s public consultation Your Future Care, there was a recommendation that ‘in the light of the rurality and associated factors’ that the CCG commissions further work to assess more extensively the services needed in the Okehampton area. This could potentially see the development of a new community hub, and we are exploring this. The CCG has been clear that services will be driven by the needs of the population — not by the buildings available.’

Okehampton Hospital was built in 2004 with contributions of £260,000 raised by people in and around Okehampton. In November last year, the Department of Health made the decision to transfer its ownership to an NHS property company PropCo, or National Health Service Property Services Ltd, along with the other 11 community hospitals in Devon.