No confidence vote issued to hospital leaders

Leaders overseeing a maternity crisis-hit hospital have been issued a vote of no confidence by senior doctors.

The executive board at North Devon District Hospital is facing pressure amid the continued suspension of its birthing services.

Consultants passed the vote against the board and said they had "no confidence" in the board's ability to ensure equitable, safe and sustainable local access to healthcare.

A spokesperson for the Royal Devon University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, said: "We are disappointed that colleagues have felt it necessary to declare a vote of no confidence, as through our regular discussions we have demonstrated that we are taking their concerns seriously."

"However, we respect the strength of feeling expressed by them," they said - said the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

"The Royal Devon remains absolutely committed to providing safe, high-quality and sustainable healthcare services for the people of north Devon."

The spokesperson added that decisions about maternity services were "not taken lightly and were made with patient safety, clinical quality and long-term sustainability as the primary considerations".

"The erosion or centralisation of services risks leaving the population of north Devon with increasingly limited access to timely and equitable care," a statement from the medical advisory committee said about the no confidence vote.

"The consultant body believes that the cumulative loss of services must be recognised as a serious threat to the sustainability of local healthcare and to our ability to meet the needs of the population we serve."

The consultant body said it remained "keen and willing" to be involved in "constructive dialogue" about the future of services at the hospital, which the hospital echoed.

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