From: INVOLVE (NHS Devon ICB) d-icb.involve@nhs.net
To: Susie Colley (chair@tqcc.co.uk), Steve Darling MP
CC: Kevin Dixon, David Thomas (Torbay Council), Cat Johns (Torbay Council)
Importance: High

Dear Susie,

Following the meeting last night, I thought it would be helpful to resend the specific responses to your pre-meeting questions that you asked us to provide. We also want to signpost you to where our One Plan for Devon details and useful documents, including our Frequently Asked Question (FAQ) sections, are online.

We understand personal contact details for NHS Devon colleagues are going to be shared following the meeting; please can we ask that you publish our Involve inbox (d-icb.involve@nhs.net) as the main contact email address for the ICB, as previously agreed. This will ensure emails are directed to the most appropriate colleague for response.

Any emails received personally by colleagues will be directed to this inbox with a co-ordinated response provided.

Kind regards
NHS Devon

The email then quoted the earlier ICB response of 13 April 2026 which contained the substantive answers to the campaign's pre-meeting questions:

We welcome the opportunity to respond, as we are concerned that some of the information currently circulating does not reflect the content of the One Plan for Devon.

The One Plan for Devon sets out the overall direction for health and care over the next five years. It does not include specific decisions about individual hospital services but does recognise that delivering sustainable services across Devon will not be possible without transformation. Where any future changes are proposed, these would be led by clinical teams and involve local people before any decisions are made.

The main duties on NHS bodies are set out in the National Health Service Act 2006, as amended by the Health and Care Act 2022: section 13Q for NHS England, section 14Z45 for integrated care boards, and section 242(1B) for NHS trusts and NHS foundation trusts.

Q1. What is meant by the "Lead Provider model" in the five-year plan? The Lead Provider model is not mentioned in the One Plan for Devon but is included in the Devon Health and Care Strategy. It is a commissioning and contracting approach, not a service change, where one NHS organisation may be asked to take overall responsibility for coordinating a pathway of care. It does not predetermine which services are delivered and where, or the closure, relocation or reduction of services.

Q2. Can the ICB confirm there are no relocation plans to move Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PPCI) to Exeter? There are no proposals to move PPCI set out in the One Plan for Devon, the ICB's five-year commissioning intentions, or the Devon Health and Care Strategy. If any such proposal were ever to be developed, it would require formal clinical review and full public involvement.

Q3. What does "New Hospital" mean in the Devon New Hospital Programme (NHP) appendix? Torbay Hospital is in wave two of the national New Hospital Programme. Following a national review in early 2025, the timetable for main construction moved to between 2033 and 2035. Current estimates suggest a total cost above £500 million, but the final scope, cost and funding position will only be confirmed once the full business case process has been completed and approved nationally. The Trust is exploring other funding avenues, including the £14.2 million redevelopment of the Emergency Department, due to be completed this year, and priority schemes through its own capital allocation such as the refurbishment of the cardiac catheterisation laboratories and aseptic pharmacy.

Q4. Can the ICB provide an underwritten guarantee that the hospital will not be downgraded? The NHS cannot provide an "underwritten guarantee" of this nature, however we can be clear that our One Plan for Devon does not include proposals to downgrade hospitals, remove services, or make specific changes to individual hospital services. Any substantial service change would require transparent public involvement.

Q5. Are histopathology services being moved? NHS England Estates Safety funding has been awarded to address long-standing infrastructure risks in histopathology at Torbay Hospital. As a result, the Trust Board has approved a long-term solution for routine histopathology to move to a bespoke new laboratory at Gadeon House in Exeter, once the new facility is ready. Time critical and urgent pathology work will remain on the Torbay Hospital site through a permanent Acute Services Laboratory. This will be confirmed at the Board of Directors meeting in public on 07 May 2026.

Q6. Are there plans to reduce A&E opening hours to Monday-Friday? Changes to A&E times are not included in the One Plan for Devon. Torbay Hospital is currently undergoing a significant £14.2 million redevelopment of its Emergency Department, scheduled for completion in 2026.

Q7. Is maternity being moved to Exeter? There are no proposals in the One Plan for Devon to re-locate maternity services.

Closing statement: As you would expect, the NHS routinely reviews services as part of future planning. Any proposals for service change would require formal clinical development, public involvement and engagement, and clear decision-making processes. While we cannot attend public meetings during the pre-election period, we will be engaging local communities fully and openly after the 7 May local elections.

Yours sincerely,
NHS Devon Integrated Care Board (ICB)
Aperture House, Pynes Hill, Rydon Lane, Exeter, EX2 5AZ

The email was unsigned beyond the corporate name "NHS Devon Integrated Care Board (ICB)".

From: Susie Colley (chair@tqcc.co.uk)
To: NHS Devon ICB

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am writing in response to your recent communication.

While I note your explanation that a generalised email inbox is used for outgoing correspondence, it is not acceptable that emails are issued without any form of identification or signature. This approach lacks transparency and makes it impossible to determine who is responsible for the content, decisions, or advice being provided.

For matters of accountability, professionalism, and effective communication, it is essential that all correspondence clearly identifies the sender, at a minimum including a name, role, and department.

I would therefore ask that future emails include a named contact and appropriate signature, and that you clarify who authored the previous correspondence so that I can address any follow-up appropriately.

Kindest regards

Susie Colley
Chair of the Torquay Chamber of Commerce and the Heart Campaign
(Declined) Governor of Torbay Hospital