LOCAL health bosses have received the consultation exercise results on the future of community health services, such as Kingsbridge Hospital. More than 250 people and organisations responded to draft proposals during the eight-week consultation, which ended on July 8, with many objecting to proposed changes. The governing body of Northern, Eastern and Western Devon Clinical Commissioning Group has promised to take the feedback on board as the organisation prepares the final strategic framework in time for a meeting in September, although it has warned of 'difficult choices' ahead. The draft paper set out the CCG's proposals for community healthcare, giving greater weight to caring for people at home rather than in community hospitals. The document also proposed that minor injuries units, such as the one at Kingsbridge Hospital, be replaced with a smaller number of urgent care units within a 30- to 40-minute drive. The principle of 'competition' would be used in commissioning urgent-care services, raising the spectre of vital services being farmed out to the cheapest provider in order to achieve a 'consistent' approach. At Kingsbridge Hospital a suggestion to staff in June that their jobs might be transferred to a community interest company called Plymouth Community Healthcare was apparently met with dismay and rumours of privatisation. A spokesman for the CCG confirmed that transferring the running of the hospital to the company was 'one of the options, although obviously nothing has been decided yet'. A report on the consultation states: 'In South Hams and West Devon there was a consistent and strong concern expressed by staff about maintaining their NHS employment terms and conditions.' The report continued: 'Members of the public, town councils and existing providers of community services consistently emphasised the value of community hospitals, particularly in rural communities. There was also recognition of the need for, and benefits of, change, tempered by concern that care at home is not always the answer.' The CCG also reported 'a large amount of feedback about the proposal to put the urgent-care services out to competition', as well as 'lots of concern about the closure of beds in some communities, and request for recognition that people will still need inpatient care if their condition requires that'. Dr Tim Burke, a GP and chair of NEW Devon CCG, said he wanted to make sure all views received were taken into consideration before a decision was taken on the future of community services. 'Understandably people have told us they're interested in knowing more about community services in their own local areas,' he said, 'so we want to work closely with them to co-produce plans for future community services.' The NHS is facing unprecedented financial pressure thanks to central government budget tightening: it must make £30bn worth of savings nationally by 2020. The CCG will shoulder a £14.7m overspend this year, and so has been identified as 'financially challenged' by NHS England. The feedback report has been published on the CCG's website at http://www.newdevonccg.nhs.uk/">www.newdevonccg.nhs.uk/.