At last week’s open meeting in St Saviour’s Church, Dart­mouth, representatives from the local NHS trust and clinical commissioning group explain­ed why they decided to close the town’s hospital.

Of course, it is true that they went through a proper consultation process before taking the closure decision.

It is also true that most residents were ‘on-side’ with their decision – but only on condition that the facilities provided at the hospital were replaced by similar, better facilities at River View.

As we now know, the trust and CCG went ahead with the hospital closure before ensuring that replacement facilities at River View were properly in place.

It now falls to those who took the fateful decision to close the hospital to provide acceptable alternative arrangements for the people of Dartmouth until a permanent solution can be found, perhaps by reopening the hospital, at least temporarily.

If they cannot do so within three months, they should resign, allowing more competent managers to take their place who fully consider the needs and wishes of residents.

David Leonard

Thurlestone Gardens Dartmouth