ASHBURTON and Buckfastleigh residents will be marching against the proposed closure of their hospital tomorrow.

The march is taking place just days before the South Devon and Torbay Clinical Commission Group meets to decide the future of local hospitals, including Ashburton and Buckfastleigh and Bovey Tracey. The group is meeting on January 26, after months of heated consultations across Teignbridge.

Tomorrow’s protest starts at Cledar Place, North Street, Ashburton at 10am, with a march to the hospital at 10.30am. All residents are invited to join in, wear red and take along a placard.

Cllr Andy Stokes, of Buckfastleigh Town Council, said: ‘This is just one part of the series of ongoing cuts to our NHS which are bringing the health service to its knees and endangering patients’ health and lives.

‘Both Buckfastleigh and Ashburton town councils are opposed to the proposed closure and have expressed this in the strongest terms to the CCG, but unless we are determined to fight for our health services, they will be cut from under us.

‘Instead of providing proper hospital care the CCG is proposing patients be cared for at home or in care homes. Given the state of the social care sector and experience elsewhere, this is a sure recipe for sick and elderly people to end up dying alone and abandoned at home. It’s clearly being done to save money and not in the interest of our health.

‘Under this government and the last, NHS investment has gone from a six per cent annual increase to around one per cent – not even enough to keep up with growing inflation, let alone deal with the increased demands of an ageing population and the costs of paying shareholder profits to the increasing number of private contractors now delivering our health services.

‘As local people, we’d like to see our community hospitals recognised as an invaluable part of patient care and receiving investment instead. The government needs to change its priorities and start putting people’s health first.’