Meeting aims to tackle issues facing North Devon health services

A special public meeting is being held in Barnstaple next Thursday (July 10) to try and find ways to tackle health issues such as access to GPs and poor health in some of North Devon’s more deprived areas.

North Devon Council's policy development committee has invited a range of local stakeholders and an expert panel to the meeting at the South West Institute of Technology building on the Petroc campus at 6.45pm.

It will focus on physical health and some of the issues in North Devon, such as access to GPs for those in rural communities and poor health outcomes in deprived areas. It is hoped the meeting will explore potential ways the council can offer support.

The panel will include Steve Brown, Director of Public Health and Communities at Devon County Council, Amanda Howard, Chief Executive of Age Concern Barnstaple and North Devon, Dave Gregory, Farming Community Network and Macmillan Programme Officer (South West), Bethany Davies, caseworker for Ian Roome MP and Harrison Perrin, pharmacy manager in Ilfracombe.

The council has also received written representations from a former primary care practice manager and from NHS Devon.

Councillor Sara Wilson said: “The health and wellbeing of our communities is very important to us and we want to gain a deeper understanding of the issues that affect our residents and some of the barriers when accessing healthcare.

“These are complex issues that cannot be tackled by one body alone, so we want to identify any actions we can take to improve outcomes for our residents. We look forward to a constructive and positive discussion.”

Questions from councillors to the panel and their respective answers are available with the meeting agenda on the meetings section of the North Devon Council website.