CAMPAIGNERS fighting to save services at Torbay Hospital are planning a protest at a meeting of the bay’s council next week (July 23).

Supporters of the Heart Campaign will wear red as they gather outside the English Riviera Centre in Torbay before a full meeting of Torbay Council next Thursday.

A campaign statement said: “We are calling for answers and transparency over decisions that could affect the future of Torbay Hospital, including the proposed move of the pathology laboratory to Gadeon House in Exeter.”

The campaign began when it was first suggested that some heart care services could be moved from Torbay Hospital to Exeter. There were fears from members of the campaign and local politicians that lives could be lost as a result of the extra distance to be travelled for emergency care, particularly during summer seasons when traffic between the bay and Exeter is often delayed.

Health chiefs responded by shelving the most controversial proposals for changing heart care services, but the campaign has continued.

There are fears now that services at Torbay Hospital could be gradually scaled down, with more key services moved to Exeter. The local health trust says this is not the case.

Most recently there have been concerns over moving some laboratory services to the Torbay Council-owned Gadeon House on the outskirts of Exeter. The council has committed £7.5million towards the project.

Torbay’s health trust says it needs to move services away from an outdated lab on the Torbay Hospital site, and it will retain some of its key tissue-testing services in the bay.

But members of the Heart Campaign, which is led by protester Susie Colley, say they still have concerns over the future of the local hospital.

Their statement went on: “Our hospital serves our community. Our community deserves answers.

“This is about protecting local healthcare for our families, our friends and future generations. We need as many people as possible to come along and show the council just how strongly the people of Torbay feel about the future of our hospital.”