Hospitals in Abertillery and Ebbw Vale are being threatened with closure if proposals for a new community hospital are given the go-ahead.

Under a plan, which is being put to a public consultation, all health services currently being carried out at the existing sites will be transferred to the new 111-bed hospital.

The consultation for the new hospital will last for three months

Seventeen locations have been identified as being suitable for the new unit, but no decision has yet been made.

Gwent Health Authority has said that - due to the need for major repair work - hospital buildings at Ebbw Vale are expected to be sold off if the plans are implemented.

But the future for the Abertillery and District Hospital is still under consideration.

People living in Blaenau Gwent have now been invited to give their views on the proposals.

Under the plans, the new hospital would accommodate stroke patients, orthopaedics, general rehabilitation beds and an adult mental health unit.

The people of Blaenau Gwent richly deserve this new hospital

Bob Hudson, Gwent Health Authority

An X-ray service is also planned, and various outpatient facilities have been incorporated.

The health authority has already carried out pre-consultation plans to create the current proposal.

Plans for the new hospital highlight that patients would have appointments at the new site, rather than being forced to travel to Abergavenny or Newport district hospitals.

People are also being asked to look at plans for a minor injuries unit to treat sprains, cuts and bruises and minor ailments at the new hospital.

This unit would support the accident and emergency department at Nevill Hall in Abergavenny.

Public meetings

Bob Hudson, Chief Executive of Gwent Health Authority said: "The people of Blaenau Gwent, who traditionally have suffered from higher rates of illness and chronic disease, richly deserve this new hospital.

"It will enable them to have a range of high quality community health care services on their doorstep.

"I urge as many people as possible to give us their views on these far reaching plans," he said.

Hospitals in Tredegar and Blaina are safe-guarded from closure under the current proposals.

Details of public meetings and roadshows for members of the community to give their opinion will be made available as part of the consultation, which finishes in February.