Sally Allen: The most important issue I have ever written about

This is by far and away the most important issue that I have written about here.

I am asking for your support and help to put a halt to the increasingly likely closure of the Cardiac Unit at The Torbay Hospital and its subsequent move to the Royal Devon & Exeter Hospital. 

The powers that be, in this case the NHS Devon Integrated Care Board), say this move will only incur an average of a 28-minute ambulance ride from Torbay to the RD&E Hospital. Even if that was true, politely, what total twaddle and rot. 

As I write this column it is Sunday morning with very little traffic and Google says it is a minimum of 38 minutes via the A380 and 51 minutes via the A379 to get to the RD&E. 

Add on to this the time for the ambulance to turn up and if you have had a heart attack or even symptoms of one, you will, at best, have life changing complications and repercussions or you will be dead before you arrive. 

If, like me, you undertake the drive to Exeter on a regular basis, you will be aware that the traffic is most often incredibly heavy and sometimes even stationary. What then? If this is allowed to happen, then this will become a legalised culling of the residents of Torbay!

These travel timings are based on you living in Torquay, what happens if you are in Brixham, Dartmouth, Kingswear and the rest of the South Hams, which is also in the catchment area for Torbay Hospital? There would be zero point even ringing for an ambulance. The whole proposal shows a shocking lack of thought, understanding and knowledge at an even basic level. 

It is well known that it is vital to call an ambulance the moment you notice ANY symptoms and that delaying even 5–10 minutes can be deadly. 

Currently there are not enough ambulances to cope with the demand; and yet, they want to send them on longer trips when they will be unavailable for longer because of the turn-around time. This doesn’t even take into account how long some patients have to be treated in ambulances outside the hospital, before they can get admitted. 

Out of all the vital units at Torbay Hospital the Cardiac Unit is the most time sensitive, and yet the ICB have decided to focus on this unit, which has an exemplary reputation. 

Even if, God forbid, you are being treated for life threatening cancer, 10 or 20 minutes is unlikely to change the outcome. Sadly, with a heart condition it is all about timing otherwise the heart muscle will die. 

Clearly this can’t have been thought through, and the ICB are guilty of neglecting their duty of care as the patients should surely come first. Afterall the hospitals, doctors and nurses are there to primarily save lives, or have the super-remunerated health bosses (some on over £300,000 p.a.) forgotten this most important remit.

After significant concerns and objections already raised, the ICB met on May 29 at 9.30am, at which time they delayed the final decision on the ‘trial’ until  July 31. However, the proposal was not withdrawn and so I, along with many others, went to the public meeting, arranged by Susie Colley, chair of the Torbay Chamber of Commerce on the same day at 5.30pm at The Imperial, to hear Dr Lisa Yung, who is one of the cardiology consultants at the Torbay Hospital, share her concerns about the proposed catastrophic change.

The response from the audience was full of emotion and passion with a couple of the attendees saying how they would have died without the wonderful service at Torbay’s cardiac unit. 

I can concur with this as my own husband’s life has been saved by the intervention of Dr Yung herself, and the quick action of an ambulance crew. The outcome, of course, would have been totally different if we had taken the A380 to Exeter.

It is important to highlight the fact that the cardiac team at the Torbay are 5th in the whole of the UK for their quick response for ‘from call to angioplasty’ and Exeter, on the other hand, is in the high 50s in the same league. 

The Torbay Cardiac Unit is therefore a centre of excellence. Exeter also has no additional services or abilities available than those at the Torbay. In fact, it has no extra beds or theatre space. 

If this initiative is to save money, only the reverse will be achieved as it will obviously cost more ferrying people back and forth to Exeter. Devon is a huge county with a mostly rural road system and so there is a critical need for emergency services to be as close to hand as possible. So, what can the reason be? 

Torbay is currently an ‘acute hospital’, but if you take cardiology away, the consultants believe that other departments will end up in the same boat. This would culminate in our hospital being downgraded to a ‘cottage hospital’ with indecent speed. 

A shocking thought. Along with, I am sure, a vast number of residents, we actually chose where we live to be in easy distance of an ‘acute hospital’

So, what can you do? We need your help. You also have to be quick, as we need to garner the public’s support for saving our cardiac unit as soon as possible as the final decision will be made next month. 

There are petitions to sign for starters. You can find them on Steve Darling MPs website, Torbay Chamber of Commerce’s website, Kevin Foster’s website, share a video supporting the cardiac unit on social media, chain yourself to some railings – whatever it takes or what you are able to do! 

You can also complain about the closure of the Cardiac Unit by contacting the Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS). You can reach them by phone at 01803 655838 or 0800 028 2037 (24-hour freephone number). Alternatively, you can email them at tsdft.feedback@nhs.net. Additionally, you can use the Contact Us form on the Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust website.

We need to make sure that this appeal receives national attention so that we can stop this dreadful and life-threatening initiative. I am sure that you won’t want to be one of the many who will die before receiving the help you need if the proposal is ratified next month.

The executive board of the Torbay hospital are in support of keeping the Cardiac Unit exactly where it is. So please, don’t just say you agree PLEASE actively protest so that you and many others can enjoy many more years of productive and happy life. You could seriously regret it if you don’t.