HOSPITAL bosses are putting contingency measures in place to deal with a potential increase in patients being admitted over the winter.

Beds could be moved from Bovey Tracey community hospital and Ashburton and Buckfastleigh hospital to Newton Abbot if there is a significant rise in admissions.

Last winter, nine beds at Bovey Tracey were relocated to Newton Abbot for just over three weeks to help deal with the influx of patients.

This came after Torbay Hospital had opened 21 more beds and brought in extra staff to cope with the increase in patients, many of them older people with complex health problems.HOSPITAL COSTS IMPACT ON RURAL SERVICE - http://bit.ly/1Geg3gy