The £1.3 million yearly mortgage for Newton Abbot Hospital is the reason behind a temporary closure plan for community hospitals in Teignbridge claims a councillor.

Two hospitals in the district could be affected for up to four months in a winter contingency strategy being considered.

RESIDENTS in Bovey Tracey have been urged to stand up and fight for their hospital and not to be hoodwinked by sweet talking clinical commissioning group (CCG) officers.

The impassioned plea came from Cllr Avril Kerswell at Monday’s meeting of Bovey Tracey Town Council.

Cllr Kerswell, who is chairman of the hospital’s league of friends, pulled no punches when she said that having attended a meeting of the South Devon and Torbay CCG last week it appeared that The Systems Resilience Group had planned the organising of the winter contingency plan for the hospital.

In the plan, if the situation demanded, beds would be temporarily moved from Bovey Tracey and Ashburton and Buckfastleigh Community Hospitals to Newton Abbot.

‘It appears that this situation is more likely to be a certainty rather than a maybe and I have been informed that this would probably take place for a minimum of two months and maybe up to four months. In other words from November to March. I was horrified and really taken aback.

‘The same reasons with regard to services and care etc, which we have heard every time this situation has arisen, was tripped out again. Even though I understand the logic, I am still convinced that the pressure is more a financial one and the pressure really comes from the £1.3 million yearly mortgage which someone has to find for Newton Abbot Hospital,’ said Cllr Kerswell.

She continued that in last week’s Mid-Devon Advertiser series, where the subject necessitated the front page: ‘We were told that the three week closure of our hospital last year was a success. For whom? Certainly not for the residents of Bovey Tracey!

‘Call me a sceptic, but I can’t help thinking that perhaps while the inpatient beds are in Newton Abbot, we will try and be persuaded that this is the future, that the majority of us have been dreading and I am really worried that we are on a slippery slope,’ she said.

Cllr Kerswell pointed out that in the recent past they had had to put up with the loss of the hospital’s minor injury unit, the kitchen was closed although quite new, and it was agreed the patients would have freeze-dried food.

‘More importantly, the number of our beds has dropped and dropped, to the extent that we now only have nine. The NHS is chipping and chipping away and does it think we have not noticed?’ she asked.

Cllr George Gribble said the hospital was built by the people of Bovey Tracey for the people, and they did not want it to close temporarily or at all, and the mayor Cllr Ulli Arnold said they were very anti any closure of the hospital and if it extended too long they would probably lose it completely.

Councillors unanimously agreed to object to any closure of the inpatients’ beds at Bovey Tracey.

A meeting is to be arranged in the next fortnight so that the contingency plans can be explained to councillors and residents.

Anyone who wants to give their views can do so via the CCG website at www.southdevonandtorbayccg.nhs/get-involved/currentengagements/Pages/winter-plan.

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