A COMMUNITY hospital in a Dartmoor town will be vacated by the end of the month, the NHS has confirmed.

Due to ‘safety and infrastructure issues’, the community hospital building in Moretonhampstead is going to be vacated on June 30, NHS Devon has said.

The building, which pre-dates the NHS, is ‘old and outdated’ and has suffered further deterioration over the past few months, including damp, such that it is an ‘unsafe environment for staff and patient care’.

Also, the high cost of replacing the roof on such an old building that is only used by a small number of patients is not viewed as a good use of taxpayer’s money by NHS Devon.

As of June 2025, the only NHS service that is currently provided from Moretonhampstead community hospital is a leg ulcer clinic, seeing just three people per week.

It is also an office space for the community nursing team.

In July, the Estates Director from NHS Devon will provide an update to the community in Moretonhampstead to discuss the next steps for the hand back of the hospital building.

NHS Devon has been working with a group of community representatives, chaired by the Moretonhampstead Parish Council as part of the ongoing involvement and engagement.

All service providers have vacated and are providing their services at alternative sites, the Mid-Devon Advertiser understands.

The Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust has confirmed that the community nursing team will be moving to new office space in the centre of the town.

‘The community nursing team will continue to provide the same services as currently, with the only difference being the leg ulcer service and patients requiring catheter/dressing changes’ the OneDevon statement says.

‘Where there was a need for patients to visit the hospital for these services, and where possible, this can now be done in people’s homes’ the statement adds.