MP for Tiverton and Minehead, Rachel Gilmour, has praised Somerset Foundation Trust’s community-focused approach to care in West Somerset, as the Trust responded to the Government’s 10 Year Health Plan for the NHS.

In the 10-year plan released on Thursday, July 3, the government set out ‘three radical shifts’ as they “plan to create a new model of care, fit for the future”- hospital to community, analogue to digital, and from sickness to prevention.

In a follow-up statement from Somerset NHS Foundation Trust last week, the Trust announced that they welcomed the 10-year plan, highlighting the various ways they have already been working towards these aims, particularly when it comes to a community-focused approach to care.

The Trust mentioned Minehead as having “state-of-the-art operating theatres that are regularly used for procedures using local anaesthetic.”

In their statement, they shared that “a range of day surgeries are offered, including dermatology, maxillofacial for skin surgery, urology screening, podiatric surgery, ocular plastic surgery, as well as hand surgery”, which they aim to expand in the coming months.

Mrs Gilmour met the team working in the operating theatres during her visit earlier this year and was impressed by the facilities available to patients in and around the town.

The Trust also stated how, since last year, they have been operating a new local chemotherapy service at Williton Hospital, a service which “enables patients in West Somerset to receive their regular chemotherapy treatment closer to home”, instead of having to travel for more than 45 minutes to Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton.

Commenting on Somerset NHS Foundation Trust’s response to the 10 Year Health Plan, Mrs Gilmour said: “I am pleased to see that the Somerset NHS Foundation Trust is ahead of the game in their focus on community care.

“On my visits to the community hospitals in Williton and Minehead earlier this year, I saw first-hand how localised care can be transformative for our communities.

“The chemotherapy service at Williton Community Hospital and the modern operating theatres at Minehead Community Hospital are enabling West Somerset’s residents to have a range of different procedures closer to home. When we have transport issues like we do in West Somerset, these services are a real game-changer.”

Mrs Gilmour added: “As much as I welcome the Government’s strategy to both future-proof and streamline NHS services, I still find it incredibly frustrating that the Government’s plans fail to address the social care crises, without also mentioning family carers. Without addressing social care, the NHS is limiting the impact of their proposed plans.”

Commenting on the 10-year plan, a government spokesperson said: “The choice for the NHS is stark: reform or die. We can continue down our current path, making tweaks to an increasingly unsustainable model - or we can take a new course and reimagine the NHS through transformational change that will guarantee its sustainability for generations to come.

“This plan chooses the latter. It represents a break with the past.”