A PUBLIC meeting will take place on Monday for Blaenavon residents to air their concerns about the impending closure of the town's hospital.

Aneurin Bevan Health Board announced last week plans to close Blaenavon Hospital in November.

The nine in-patient bed hospital mainly treats people recovering from illness or trauma but also has a minor accident and emergency ward which is unaffected by the changes.

Additional in-patient beds will be provided in the Arthur Jenkins Care Home and, if funding is found, a medical health centre on the Blaenavon Community Campus.

Blaenavon Councillor and chairman of Blaenavon Hospital Welfare Committee Brian Whitcombe said, "It is very short notice to say the hospital is closing in November - the decision was only made within two weeks.

"In-patient beds will now be in the Arthur Jenkins Home but has been reduced from four in-patient beds with two palliative care beds to just two beds. A doctor's surgery will be built adjacent to the new school, but they have not had money from WAG to do that yet. Blaenavon is losing its facilities before that is even built.

"I have grave concerns about this."

 A spokesperson for Aneurin Bevan Health Board said, "We are extremely grateful to all the local people and their representatives who have shared with us their views on the proposed closure of in-patient beds in Blaenavon Hospital.

"We fully understand the depth of feeling felt by local people when services are changing, but we must continue to develop services that are fit for the future.

"In the very near future our two brand new hospitals in Ystrad Mynach and Ebbw Vale, together with greatly enhanced community services, will be delivering care in, and much closer to, the homes of our patients.

"Our focus will continue to be on providing safe and effective care as locally as possible for the people we serve, but we cannot stand still, we have to continue to modernise and improve services for our patients.

"The recent announcement of £9m from Welsh Assembly Government to transform community services, as part of the greater Gwent Frailty Programme, demonstrates a commitment to investment in local community services, so that more people remain independent in their own homes." The public meeting will take place at Blaenavon Workmen's Hall on Monday, October 18 at 6.30pm.