South Devon and Torbay Clinical Commissioning Group's Governing Body met this morning at Newton Abbot Racecourse to approve their plan to close Paignton Hospital. They propose that the building will be sold and the money will be reinvested in local services.
The CEO of the CCG gave a presentation to a packed room, and local MP Kevin Foster was in attendance. Kevin was originally due to be in Westminster today for meetings, but travelled back from London especially to attend the meeting in Newton Abbot.
Speaking at the meeting, Kevin explained that an enormous number of his constituents had contacted him about saving Paignton Hospital. He said that the issue was not just about bricks and mortar, but was about retaining local services for local people.
While Kevin notes the CCG's proposals to move some services from Paignton Hospital to Torbay Hospital, he is concerned that this will put more pressure on Torbay Hospital and needs to be handled very carefully.
Kevin explained to the CCG Board, and to the audience, that he had toured, along with local GPs, potential sites for new services in his Torbay constituency, and asked the CCG to consider these.
Kevin will provide a further update on the future of Paignton Hospital in his Residents' Update this week.