HEALTH chiefs today approved plans to invest nearly £4 million in revamped community services at the expense of closing four South Devon community hospitals.

Ashburton and Buckfastleigh Hospital together with Bovey Tracey Hospital are on the shutdown hit list in Teignbridge with Paignton and Dartmouth also likely to go.

South Devon and Torbay Clinical Commissioning Group’s (CCG) governing body this morning approved proposals to change NHS resources from bed-based hospital care to ‘health and wellbeing teams’ which support people within their local communities, as close to their homes as possible.

The group said a public consultation about improved NHS community services, which keep people out of hospital unless clinically necessary, is a step closer.

NHS England, which leads the National Health Service, will consider the proposals next month.

If approved, consultation will run for 12 weeks and give people across Teignbridge and South Devon a chance to air their views.

A CCG spokesman said the proposals, opposed by Ashburton and Bovey Tracey League of Friends, have been designed to meet the rising demand for NHS services, ensure no one has to travel further than necessary for treatment, meet national safety standards and ensure hospital beds are available when clinically needed.

The new approach would see £3.9 million invested in community services, and health and social care staff working more closely in new town-based health and wellbeing centres with the local voluntary sector.

The spokesman confirmed: ‘The proposals say that to release funds that will support investment in community services, four community hospitals are likely to close – Bovey Tracey, Ashburton, Dartmouth and Paignton.’

The CCG also says that number of minor injury units will be reduced from seven to three – in Newton Abbot, Totnes and Dawlish – but they will be open seven days a week with more consistent opening hours and x-ray facilities.

Dr Nick Roberts, the CCG’s chief clinical officer, promised: ‘If NHS England approves the proposals, we will host a series of public meetings across South Devon and Torbay where people will be able to hear the proposals in detail and feed back to us their views.

‘People can give us their thoughts on where we are as a health and care community now and what changes are possible to make our services sustainable for the future.’

He added: ‘As I have said before, these proposals are about people rather than buildings. The local NHS feels that, in terms of general community care, people should only be admitted to hospital when medically necessary, and I think most people would agree with that.

‘We want to create services that are more effective, closer to home, affordable and, in terms of MIUs, offer a real alternative to A&E, which will be very important for South Devon and Torbay.’

If the proposals are approved by NHS England, dates for the public meetings will be announced and full details of the proposals will be published on the CCG’s website.

A public questionnaire will also be provided, and the independent Healthwatch organisations in Devon and Torbay will collate the public feedback.