Barton Surgery

Dawlish Community Hospital

Dawlish Community Hospital, situated adjacent to the Barton Surgery, opened in June 1999.  It has 18 acute GP beds and is not for convalescent or long stay patients.  Visiting hours are from 2.00pm – 5.00pm, 6.00pm  8.30pm and the telephone number of the hospital is 01626 868500.

The hospital has many facilities, which can be accessed by our patients:

MINOR INJURIES UNIT – This unit is led by specially trained nurses, but no resident doctor.  A GP from the Barton Surgery will attend if requested by the nursing staff.  The unit is open from 10.00am – 6.00pm.

COMMUNITY NURSING SERVICES – The District Nursing Team is based at Dawlish Community Hospital, where they can be contacted between the hours of 09.00am and 5.00pm Monday to Friday on 01626 868500.  If the team is out on visits, a message can be left at Reception, which will be actioned when the nurses return.

The Team visits patients in their own homes, those patients that are housebound and unable to attend the surgery or the hospital.  They offer nursing care, advice and support to patients with acute or chronic illnesses.  They can also obtain nursing equipment when it is available and can refer to other health professionals when appropriate.  They also have specific skills in the area of continence and liaise directly with the Continence Adviser from Newton Abbot Hospital, who attends Dawlish Community Hospital.

PHYSIOTHERAPY – The Physiotherapy Department is situated on the lower level of Dawlish Community Hospital.  The senior physiotherapist will assess the patient’s needs and determine the course of action.  This service is accessed via your doctor.

OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY – The Occupational Therapy Service, usually accessed via your doctor, offers people treatment to regain or maximize independence following injuries, strokes, arthritis and other illnesses to help patients return to their own homes as soon as possible.  The service is based at Dawlish Community Hospital and they also work in the community.

HEALTH VISITING – The Health Visitors are based at Teignmouth Hospital and can be contacted by telephoning 03333 2341901. Baby Clinics are held at Dawlish Community Hospital on the 2nd and 4th Wednesday mornings of every month (these are currently on hold due to COVID restrictions).  Their main roles are to promote good health and prevent illness.  They are available to give advice on health related topics to any age group.  All children under five will have a named health visitor.  Women will meet their health visitor during pregnancy or shortly after their children’s birth.  Health visitors monitor the baby’s growth and development and advise about childcare.

XRAY DEPARTMENT – Dawlish Community Hospital has an xray department and the opening times for this department are:

Monday:  1.45pm – 4.14pm
Wednesday:  1.45pm – 4.15pm

When the department is closed, xrays can be undertaken at Teignmouth Hospital or Newton Abbot Hospital. Referral to the Xray Department is via your doctor.  Xrays films are taken back to Torbay Hospital where they are reported on direct to the doctor.

PODIATRY DEPARTMENT – This busy department, situated on the lower floor of Dawlish Community Hospital, can be accessed by patients completing a registration form (available from the reception desk of either the surgery or the hospital).  The service is for patients whose feet are at risk, ie patients with diabetes, peripheral vascular disease, patients being treated with steroids or anticoagulants and people with a medical and/or foot condition, which affects foot health.  On completion of the application form, patients are given an assessment appointment.  At this appointment the podiatrist will advise them on basic foot care and whether they will need a further appointment.

SPEECH AND LANGUAGE THERAPY – The Speech and Language Therapists are based on the lower floor of Dawlish Hospital.  They work with children and adults who have communication problems and/or swallowing difficulties.  The service offers out patient appointments and also home and school visits, as appropriate.  There is an open referral system, but referrals can still be made by doctors.

Friends of Dawlish Hospital
Dawlish Community Hospital is fortunate to have a very active fundraising group, the Friends of Dawlish Hospital.  The Committee welcomes new Friends.

The Friends have a group of volunteers who regularly undertake duties within Dawlish Community Hospital, making the patients’ stay more pleasant.

If you would like to make a contribution or set up an annual subscription to enable the Friends to purchase equipment to make the hospital an asset to the community, please contact the Treasurer, Jill King – Tel: 01626 862901.

Any correspondence is to be sent to Reception, Dawlish Community Hospital.

Chairman: Geoff King 01626 862901 – Secretary: Howard Almond 07970 793560

The Friends of Dawlish Hospital is a Registered Charity No 202886.

Date published: 20th October, 2017
Date last updated: 23rd June, 2021