FRIENDS of Teignmouth Hospital and the campaigners who have been fighting so hard to keep it open, are holding a special ‘Thank You’ party,

Teignmouth Community Hospital celebrates its 68th Birthday on Monday, September 26.

Hospital friend and campaigner Geralyn Arthurs says: ‘We are holding a celebration at 6pm to say ‘Thank you’ for the excellent medical and nursing care that so many of us have received over the years.

‘With the fifth change of Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Cllr Chris Clarance has once again lobbied Government to enable it to save Teignmouth Hospital.

‘Hopefully the Rt Hon Dr Therese Coffey, who is also the country’s Deputy Prime Minister and has personally experienced the worse and the best of the NHS medical intervention after coming close to death, will look favourably on Chris’ appeal for a change of heart to enable our hospital to survive and thrive.

‘Seeing that the Secretary of State said that she will be focusing on the ABCD of the NHS to see where improvements can be made, I am hopeful that we may finally see wisdom returning and an acknowledgement that besides a major shortage of clinical staff there is also a shortage of inpatient beds.

‘Rightly or wrongly, I think her ABCD stands for the following: A = ambulances and paramedics and will focus on how the most successful triage systems enable the discharge of patients rapidly; B = backlogs and bed shortages, the former being hampered by the latter as well as a shortage of clinical staff; C = care, both nursing in hospitals and nursing homes and social care; D = doctors, dentists and different clinical practitioners who enable the NHS to deliver the medical and nursing care that is necessary for our health and wellbeing.

‘Hopefully our new Secretary of State will deliver on her pledge and we will be able to look forward to the NHS once again reinstating our community hospitals which are so vital in supporting the district general hospitals to function smoothly.

‘We look forward to seeing as many locals as possible to join us at 6:00pm on Monday, 26th September, in saying ‘Thank you’ to our NHS staff and to celebrate 68 years of exemplary service.’