DARTMOUTH residents are being urged to make their voices heard in protecting the future of heath services in the town.

Pierre Landell-Mills, chairman of the Dartmouth Patient Particip­ation group, hopes people will make their views known as a long-awaited consultation exercise is about to begin over proposals for a major shake up of local heath care, which includes the closure of Dartmouth and Kingswear Hospital.

And if the town is to lose its hospital it must not happen until a suitable alternative is put in place, he has stressed.

The consultation, originally scheduled for May, will now begin on September 1 for 12 weeks with a series of public meetings across South Devon and Torbay enabling people to give their views.

The process will include two meetings at Dartmouth Academy in Milton Lane on Thursday, September 15, at 4pm and another at 7pm.

Health bosses first announced moves to shift emphasis from bed based hospital care to health and wellbeing teams that support people within their local communities back in April – along with the possible closures of community hospitals at Ashburton and Buckfastleigh, Dartmouth, Paignton and Bovey Tracey, with the loss of 60 beds.

The proposals also include reducing the number of minor injury units by seven to three, which will be in Newton Abbot, Totnes and Dawlish – but they will be open seven days a week, with more consistent opening hours and X-ray facilities.

The South Devon and Torbay Clinical Commissioning Group, which is responsible for the majority of health services in the area, has been waiting until now for the NHS England go ahead to begin the consultation exercise.

A consultation document is due to go public on September 1 spelling out the proposals in detail and explaining the reasons for the changes. The document will be available online and in paper form.

The new approach would see £3.9m 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 plans will see new facilities created, in some cases with local GPs, to provide care closer to patients’ homes.

Health chiefs say they are looking at strengthening the health services used by most people, switching resources from bed-based hospital care to community-based care.

But the proposals warn that to release funds that will support investment in community services, the four community hospitals are likely to close.

Mr Landell-Mills said the public consultation meetings were of the utmost importance as the concerns expressed by local people would help determine what health services will be provided locally in the future.

‘While the NHS latest proposals for our health care have yet to be revealed, we understand that Dartmouth hospital and local clinic are to be closed,’ he said.

‘This follows on from the closing last year of our local minor injuries unit. On the positive side, NHS propose to establish a modern health and wellbeing clinic at the top of the town. The plan is to move the Dartmouth Medical Practice into the new clinic and to provide a few additional services.

‘Your Dart Patients Group is very concerned that these changes will leave us with fewer medical services than before, leaving patients to travel to Totnes or Torbay for their other medical needs, despite our relative isolation and poor public transport.

‘We are also determined that the hospital should not be closed before the new Health and Wellbeing Centre is fully functional. Also, at least eight properly staffed intermediate care beds must be located in Dartmouth to cater for palliative care and convalescing patients.

‘We welcome the NHS plan to provide more support to enable patients to be treated at home, but we want the details to be spelled out as to how this will the achieved. There have been many failed promises in the past. And while we agree that there should be equity in the provision of health services across South Devon, full account  must be taken of our isolation and poor public transport.’

Dr Nick Roberts, chief clinical officer at the CCG, said: ‘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.

 ‘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.

 ‘No decisions will be made on the future shape of services until after the consultation.’

Mairead McAlinden, chief executive at Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust, said: ‘The proposals for change are an important part of our new model of care and I would encourage everybody, including our staff, to take part, listen to the proposals and to give their views.

‘The proposals are for a different way of providing care with more care delivered in or close to people’s homes. This will mean strengthening the community-based teams and services that most people use, so there is less reliance on hospital beds.’