Torbay Heart Campaign goes on despite open letter from South Devon NHS boss

The fight goes on for Torbay heart campaigners despite an open letter to residents from Torbay's health chief trying to give assurances over treatment services.

The Torbay Heart Campaign has been gathering momentum after fears that Torbay is going to lose its life-saving cardiac services to Exeter with the latest public meeting at the Palace Theatre in Paignton well-attended.

Joe Teape, Chief Executive, Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust, sent out 'an open letter to the people of Torbay and South Devon:

"Dear residents, patients, carers and colleagues

"I want to speak directly to you about our cardiology services at Torbay Hospital and our commitment to you. We know how important these services are to local people and we are proud of the skill and dedication of our cardiology teams. Every day, they save lives. We are committed to keeping care safe, high quality and close to home.

"I also understand that many of you are concerned about the future of cardiac care in Torbay and South Devon. Let me be clear: there are currently no formal proposals to change cardiology services at Torbay Hospital.

"Later this year, the Integrated Care Board will publish a draft Case for Change for cardiovascular disease, cardiology and cardiac surgery services across Devon. This will set out the current challenges and start a conversation about how services might work in the future. It will not include proposals for change.

"We are working closely with the ICB to make sure everyone has the chance to share their views. Once the draft case for change has been published – the ICB will lead an engagement programme to capture the views of the local population, partners and key stakeholders as part of the draft case for change development process.

"We will be asking our NHS staff, governors, volunteers, councillors and voluntary sector partners to help us ensure that local voices and experiences shape the future of these services.

"We know the Heart Campaign has raised concerns about patient safety, access to emergency care and the possible impact of centralising services. We are listening and I have personally met with representatives from the Heart Campaign. Their concerns and feedback is being noted and I can assure you it will be considered as part of the wider engagement process.

"At Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust, we are also planning for the future. This includes refurbishing our cardiac catheter labs, which is a top clinical priority in our draft capital programme for 2026/27. We expect to seek approval for this from our Board in January 2026. I am committed to being open and transparent and to making sure your voices are heard. We will keep you updated as this work progresses."

But Susie Colley, chair of the Heart Campaign, fired back in a letter to Mr Teape: "While we appreciate your reassurance that “there are currently no formal proposals to change cardiology services at Torbay,” we are concerned by the clear contradiction contained in the following paragraph, which states that “later this year the ICB will publish a draft case for change for cardiovascular disease, cardiology, and cardiac services across Devon.”