COUNCILLORS clashed at a recent meeting over the “temporarily” closed inpatient beds at Wellington Community Hospital.

The disagreement came during a long debate about health services in the town following news of the pending closure of the Luson Surgery and that Somerset NHS Trust recently confirmed there were no plans to reopen ten inpatient beds at Wellington Community Hospital which had been closed on a “temporary” basis in 2020 amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

Cllr Andrew Govier said he had recently visited the community hospital where he met with the hospital’s League of Friends team and staff. He also met-up with Matron Norma Coombes and her team to find out what was happening at the hospital.

He sent out an email to his fellow colleagues ahead of the council meeting on August 4 and said his visit had been “informative and uplifting” and that he had been struck by the “positive atmosphere and the dedication of Norma, the hospital’s Matron, and her team.”

But Cllr John Thorne was not happy by the tone of the email and said that it implied the closure of the inpatient beds was not that important.

Cllr Thorne said he did not want to “embarrass the councillor in public” but continued to say that he was disappointed with Cllr Govier’s email.

“The inpatient beds at the community hospital are very important,” he said.

Cllr Govier said he was disappointed at Cllr Thorne’s comments adding that he did not want to “embarrass” his council colleague, but thought it right that everybody at the meeting – there were around 50 members of the public present – heard what services are available at the community hospital.

“There are about 30 clinics which are held at Wellington Community Hospital and I’m sorry that Cllr Thorne is disappointed about the services which are delivered here in Wellington,” he said.

Cllr Govier, in his email to council colleagues, said: “The hospital is currently operating five days a week, hosting over 30 clinics that serve patients across all age groups. These include antenatal care, ENT, Speech & Language Therapy, ADHD support, psychology, ultrasound, stroke care, audiology, diabetic retinopathy, and more.

“The midwives and district nursing team are based on-site, and The Beacon Centre in Taunton also uses the hospital for chemotherapy treatments. These services are well-used and deeply valued by residents of Wellington and the surrounding areas, and they contribute to footfall in the town, supporting local businesses.”

Cllr Govier, during the meeting, said: “We are very grateful to the people who work at the community hospital and provide those services which support the 100s of people who go there.”

Cllr Govier’s email continued: “You may have seen the recent article in the WWN, which unfortunately presented a rather negative view. The inpatient beds have been temporarily closed for around five years, and the recent announcement simply formalised that closure.

“Internal changes to the building now make it physically impossible to reinstate inpatient beds. Staffing, catering, and cleaning requirements for a ten-bed unit would be significant, and not currently feasible.”