Tower Block fire safety works, Simpson Ward and public involvement in service changes
The campaign's letter (13 October 2026)
On 13 October 2026 Susie Colley, Director of Save Torbay Hospital Ltd, wrote to Joe Teape, Chief Executive of Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust, copied to Members of Parliament and others. The letter raises three matters: the Tower Block fire safety works and what they would mean for services on the Torbay Hospital site, the reported closure of Simpson Ward, and the Trust's duty to involve the public before it changes services. It asks for a full written response within 14 days, and states that in the absence of a response the campaign will seek the same information through a request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and raise the matter with elected representatives and the relevant scrutiny bodies.
From: Susie Colley, Director, Save Torbay Hospital Ltd
To: Mr Joe Teape, Chief Executive, Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust, Torbay Hospital, Newton Road, Torquay TQ2 7AA
Copied to: Members of Parliament and others
Subject: Tower Block fire safety works, Simpson Ward and public involvement in service changes
Good evening Mr Teape,
I write as Chair of Save Torbay Hospital, on behalf of the residents of the Trust's catchment area who rely on Torbay Hospital.
A message to colleagues has recently been posted on the Trust's intranet concerning the fire safety risks in the Tower Block. It states that the Trust now has a clearer understanding of further steps that may need to be taken, that clinical and operational leaders have been exploring options and what they would mean for services, and that colleagues in affected services or teams will be spoken to directly.
We do not dispute for a moment that patients and staff must be safe. Our concern is that options affecting hospital services are being developed and discussed internally while the public, who depend on those services, have been told nothing.
In addition, we have been told by members of staff that Simpson Ward is to close, that its staff are being redeployed and that the ward is being dismantled quickly. We have no wish to repeat information that is inaccurate, which is why we are putting this to you directly.
I would therefore be grateful if you would answer the following three questions.
- The Tower Block options. Will the Trust publish the options currently being considered in response to the Tower Block fire safety risks, together with the services, wards and departments each option would affect, including any proposal to move services off the Torbay Hospital site, whether temporarily or permanently?
- Simpson Ward. Can you confirm or deny that Simpson Ward is closing or being decommissioned? If it is, please state when the decision was made and by whom, whether the closure is intended to be temporary or permanent, where its patients and services will be provided instead, and what the effect will be on the Trust's overall bed capacity.
- Public involvement. Will the Trust commit to engaging with patients and the public before any decisions are made on changes to services arising from this work, rather than after? Please set out how the Trust intends to meet its duty under section 242 of the National Health Service Act 2006 to involve the public in the planning of services and in proposals for changes to the way services are provided, and whether the Trust has notified, or intends to notify, the relevant local authority health scrutiny committees.
The public has repeatedly been told that there are no proposals to change services at Torbay Hospital. If changes are now being considered, for whatever reason, the people of Torbay and South Devon deserve to hear that from the Trust openly and early.
I would be grateful for a full written response within 14 days of the date of this letter. In the absence of a response, we will seek this information through a request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and raise the matter with our elected representatives and the relevant scrutiny bodies.
regards
Susie Colley
Director, Save Torbay Hospital Ltd
What Simpson Ward provides
Simpson Ward is part of the Trust's Care of the Elderly service, within the Medical Directorate on Level 7 (Old Side) at Torbay Hospital. The Trust describes Care of the Elderly as a specialist service for older people's health needs, providing inpatient care alongside day treatment that aims to keep people with long-term conditions out of hospital, with rehabilitation and reablement delivered jointly by therapists, physicians and nursing staff. It sits alongside the Torbay Assessment, Investigation and Rehabilitation Unit (TAIRU) and the Medical Admissions Team's hospital-at-home service. The Trust notes that locally 24 per cent of the population is over 65, against a national average of 16 per cent, which is the context in which any loss of elderly-care capacity would be felt.
Source: Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust, Care of the Elderly service page, torbayandsouthdevon.nhs.uk.
The duty to involve the public (Section 242)
Section 242 of the National Health Service Act 2006 requires NHS bodies to involve and consult the public when services are being planned, when proposals for change are developed, and when decisions are made that affect the operation of services. The campaign's position is that any reconfiguration arising from the Tower Block fire safety works, and any change to Simpson Ward, falls within this duty, and that the public and the relevant local authority health scrutiny committees should be engaged before decisions are taken rather than informed afterwards.
What happens next
The letter sets a 14-day deadline for a full written response. If the Trust does not respond, the campaign has said it will seek the same information through a request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and raise the matter with elected representatives and the relevant scrutiny bodies, at which point this item will be updated with the request reference and tracked to its statutory deadline. Any reply from the Trust, and any resulting FOI request, will be recorded here.