A PUBLIC debate on the proposed closure of four South Devon hospitals - two of them in Teignbridge - gets underway next month. Pros and cons of the shutdown of Ashburton and Bovey Tracey hospitals - as well as those in Paignton and Dartmouth - will be argued at open meetings stretching over a five-weeks period. South Devon and Torbay Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), responsible for the most of the area’s health services, wants to switch resources from bed-based hospital care to community-based care enabling more people to be supported in or near their own homes. A consultation document will be published on September 1 which will outline the contentious proposals and explain the CCG’s desires for change - which were were fiercely opposed when the closures were last discussed and rejected three years ago. The document will be available online and in paper form. The consultation period lasts 12 weeks. Dr Nick Roberts, chief clinical officer at the CCG, said: ‘It’s taken a lot of discussion and planning to get us to this point and we’re now pleased to be able to consult on this important issue. ‘We are keen to hear the people’s thoughts on community services that are affordable, will meet increasing health needs, and are clinically sound and sustainable. ‘The services we have in South Devon and Torbay cannot stay as they are. Times have changed, and so have people’s needs.’ He added: ‘A larger number of people are living longer, and with older age comes more complex healthcare needs – but, as we all know, the funds that are available can’t match this increasing need.’ And he stressed: ‘No decisions will be made on the future shape of services until after the consultation and when all feedback and alternative proposals have been thoroughly considered.’ The public meeting itinerary includes: * Ashburton Town Hall, September 20 at 1pm, 4pm and 7pm. * Bovey Tracey, Phoenix Hall, September 13 at 4.30pm and 7.30pm * Buckfastleigh, St Luke’s Church, September 22 at 6.30pm. * Chudleigh Town Hall, September 16 at 6.30pm. * Newton Abbot College, October 13 at 6.30pm. * Widecombe Church Hall, October 12 at 6.30pm.