THE axe still hangs over the only ward at the Chase Community Hospital, with health bosses still waiting to hear if their cash bid to the government to fund alternative plans has been successful.
The board of the North and Mid Hampshire Health Authority had hoped to announce at its meeting on Tuesday that it had ditched the cost-cutting plans to close the MacIlwain ward, but government ministers had still not made a decision.
If successful, health bosses will use the government grant to create 51 intermediate care bed placements - 12 of which would be at the Chase Hospital.
In a revised scheme, BordonÕs hospital would house a refurbished 24-bed ward with the remaining 12 beds being used, and paid for, by social services as nursing home beds.
It also emerged on Tuesday that a separate funding bid had also been submitted to pay for a new primary care diagnostic and treatment centre at the Chase.
A medical day-assessment unit would be established at the Bordon hospital where local residents will also be able to take advantage of newly provided pre-assessment, minor injuries and diagnostic services.
Existing services at the hospital, including out-patient clinics, physiotherapy, family planning and chiropody, would also be beefed up and improved.
But without knowing whether the funding applications were successful, health bosses agreed to defer their decision on the original closure plans until the outcome is known.
Health authority chief executive Gareth Cruddace said: ÒI would hope that this would be seen as a positive step forward.
ÒIf we can get the funding then I think that this would be very good news for the hospital and the people working there. The alternative would be for the health authority to forget about the alternative plans and make a decision on the original proposals today.Ó
Mr Cruddace explained to the packed board meeting at St MarkÕs Shared Church that the community health council, which met last Wednesday, had agreed that if the health authority went ahead with its original proposals that it would Òcall inÓ the plan and the final decision would fall to a government minister.
If the health authority fails in its funding bid then it is likely that the board will re-examine the proposals next month which will lead to it to be called in.
But if it is successful, a new four-week consultation period will be rushed through in a bid to bring to an end the uncertainty surrounding the hospital, which has been losing staff since the original proposals were first put together last year.
The health authority is also planning to shorten the consultation period because it is disbanding at the end of March and is being replaced by a new strategic health authority for the county. This means that the future of the hospital must be decided within the remaining life-time of the NMHHA.
At last WednesdayÕs meeting, Gill Duncan, chief executive of the North Hampshire Primary Care Trust, which put together the Chase plans, praised residents in Bordon and its surrounding villages.
She said: ÒIt was great to see the passion from the people of Bordon and the other areas around it about the plans. I donÕt think that I have seen anything like it.
ÒMany people will ask why we did not put these proposals forward in the first place instead of the original proposals, but it was not until the end of November or December that we became aware that there was national capital for this kind of plan under a fund called Capital Investment in Intermediate Care.
ÒWe were then able to put this plan together because of the capital and because of the strength of feeling from local people.
ÒWe have been asked to look at how we can do things differently and to look at how the Chase can be used in the future - securing some local beds for local people.Ó
Mrs Duncan said that plan B would not only keep beds for local residents and create 12 new affordable nursing home beds, but it would save money because social services would be sharing the bill.
ÒIt would also give us an opportunity to look at other things at the hospital and examine how we can increase out-patient services which are currently being underutilised,Ó she said.
ÒWe have got to make that local facility work better for local people.Ó
Mrs Duncan explained that the new-look ward would consist of 24 single-bed rooms with washbasins, which all conform to minimal nursing home care standards.
This has led to suspicions by many GPs that this will mean that the Chase will eventually become a nursing home.
Dr Helen Walters, who attended last weekÕs CHC meeting, said: ÒThis plan does need more work on it and there is huge doubt over the future use of these beds and GPs are deeply suspicious about this.Ó
But Mrs Duncan denied that this was the case and said that relationships with Bordon needed to be improved.
ÒWe have got to start rebuilding trust in Bordon which I think has felt somewhat disenfranchised for a while.
ÒThese plans are very much about local wishes and it is also about certainty for the hospital because we have had staff leaving.Ó
She also said that rumours that staff at the hospital had been given their notice is untrue.