HASLEMERE'S hospital beds could be facing the axe under a massive shake-up of the borough's community hospitals.

Health chiefs were yesterday (Thursday) due to unveil five sets of options which could leave Haslemere, Milford and Cranleigh with no in- patient beds at all.

On top of this, the current "temporary" beds closures across Waverley are set to become permanent.

However, Haslemere could still be getting a new day hospital and extra in-patient services, but only on the condition that Milford Hospital is axed.

Yesterday the cash-strapped Guildford and Waverley Primary Care Trust (PCT), which runs the hospitals, was due to launch a new public consultation document called Modernising Your Local Healthcare.

It looks at the future of Haslemere, Milford, Cranleigh and Farnham hospitals collectively and how services can be provided closer to people's homes at the "highest affordable quality".

Five options were due to be unveiled at the PCT's board meeting, with three of the options proposing that all of the beds at Haslemere be closed.

In the other two options, beds in Cranleigh will have to close, although one option proposes that beds in both hospitals be axed and transferred to both the Royal Surrey and Farnham.

It is part of a major cull of beds with the current 172 axed to between 137 and 140 depending on each option. However, the PCT believes that this will be enough to meet local needs because of the way in which the beds are used will change.

Four of the five options also propose that Haslemere will have a new day hospital, as well as diagnostic and outpatient facilities which will remain on site no matter which option is chosen.

However, the new day hospital may not be created if the campaign to save Milford Hospital from closure is successful.

Four of the options involve the closure of Milford, with the exception of one, which will see specialist rehabilitation services and beds split between Milford and Farnham.

A day hospital in Milford is also proposed, but this will be at the expense of a day hospital in Haslemere.

This option is also expected to be unpopular with residents in Godalming, as all but this one option proposes that Godalming would have a new treatment centre. However this will not go ahead if Milford Hospital is saved.

News of the potential bed cuts is expected to come as a bitter blow to Haslemere residents, who, in August were told that a £18.4 million redevelopment of Haslemere Hospital was on the cards.

At the time, the PCT was looking at five options, four of which looked at building a new treatment centre and three of which proposed the full, or partial, redevelopment of the hospital, with one of those options proposing an increase in the number of beds.

The idea of creating a treatment centre with no in-patient beds was also mooted in the report to the PCT, but was criticised in the report for being costly, creating problems and attracting huge opposition.

However, at the trust's board meeting in August, members decided against picking out their favourite options until a major review of health services had been carried out.

The Herald understands that the new consultation document supersedes the previous review and options being considered by the trust, which has to find more than £16 million in savings in the next two years.

News of the content of the new consultation document was this week angrily received by South West Surrey MP Jeremy Hunt, who accused the PCT of only caring about saving money.

A special cross-community group, of which Mr Hunt is part, had put forward a new option which would avoid the closure of Milford and Cranleigh Hospitals and bed reductions at Haslemere Hospital.

However, Mr Hunt told The Herald that this has now been rejected by the PCT on the grounds that it is not "financially viable" and will not be put forward as part of the consultation.

"This makes a total mockery of consultation," he said.

"Having been invited to submit alternative proposals, we worked hard to put together a long-term plan that secured our community hospitals, as well as offering financial savings.

"My biggest worry is that in a headlong rush to save money, the PCT is putting patient welfare at risk. This response seems to confirm that all they care about is balancing the books."

The public consultation period is due to run from December 1 to February 28, with a public meeting to be held in Haslemere on January 19.

The PCT is due to make a final decision at its meeting on March 23 which will be held in public.