Residents invited to comment on future of hospital

Members of the public have their last chance to comment on the future of Fowey Community Hospital.

The hospital was closed in 2016 after it was deemed no longer fit for purpose and the building could now be sold off for redevelopment.

A document explaining the work that NHS Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Integrated Care Board (ICB) has completed on the hospital's future is due to be published this month, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The drop-in event for the town's residents will take place from 11:00 to 14:00 GMT on 7 December at Pavilion House on Langurtho Road in Fowey.

A community stakeholder group set up to look at the future of the hospital concluded the building was no longer fit for purpose.

The group found it would require significant investment to bring the hospital up to a state for modern care and it could only provide six beds which was considered too few.

The building is also in a residential area and cannot be extended.

The ICB considered whether the building could be redeveloped as a care home but concluded it was too small, it would cost too much to renovate and it would be difficult to find staff who could afford to live and work in the area.

Other options, including using it for clinics, day services or as a community hub, were also ruled out due to cost.

The ICB said it will make a final decision about the hospital at a meeting held in public in January.

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