Health bosses refused to guarantee the long term future of Falmouth Hospital at a packed public meeting on Monday.
Up to 200 people turned out for the meeting which was held to discuss the impact NHS cuts will have on the area and the local NHS Sustainability and Transformation Plan (STP).
The STP, a proposed five year plan for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, aims to find ways to save £254m by better management of funds and “rethinking the way we view care.”
Proposals in the STP include combining current care providers and reducing time spent in hospitals, but even with these proposals the NHS representatives could not guarantee the future of Falmouth Hospital. Garth Davies, associate director of communications and engagement at Royal Hospital Treliske, said: “We can’t make any guarantees but we want to hear people’s views about how we can best use the money we have in the community.
“We’ve been working on this since early 2016, and have looked at what we need to do. We have some fantastic services across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, however we also know that we are not achieving best outcomes in some areas. The other thing we know is that the NHS and health and social care is over stretched.
“On that note we think we have an outdated model of care, which is very bed based with not enough energy focused on community services and prevention. This has led to the financial challenges we face now and we know if we do nothing over the next five years we will have a £254m deficit.
Full story in Falmouth Packet 19th January 2016