HASLEMERE organisations are starting to join forces this week to campaign to save hospital beds from the axe.

The League of Friends of Haslemere Hospital has had offers of help and support from different organisations to do all they can to save the beds from the chop.

Haslemere's MP is also fighting the closure and urging health chiefs to look at alternatives.

The League of Friends is calling on local residents to campaign to save beds at Haslemere Hospital.

Steps are already under way to launch a petition and other tactics to fight the closure are also being considered by the group, which raises funds for the hospital.

Chairman Dr Nicky Lee told The Herald that the Friends had already been contacted by the Haslemere Society and Wispers School with offers of support.

"We have been very pleased that we have had these offers of support," she said.

As previously reported by The Herald, the cash-strapped Primary Care Trust, which runs the community hospitals, and the rehabilitation hospital in Milford, has put forward five options to save cash.

Overall, the number of beds in the borough will be reduced by at least 32 depending on which option is chosen, with the axe hanging over beds in Haslemere, Milford, Cranleigh and Farnham. Three out of the five options propose the closure of all of the in-patient beds at Haslemere Hospital.

The Friends argue that Haslemere should keep its beds for a variety of reasons, including the fact that they are of a high standard and are the cheapest in the area to run.

Dr Lee said that earlier this year, the PCT was putting together proposals to develop and increase the services at Haslemere in the long-term, but now they have been suddenly ditched for short-term cost-cutting measures.

"A viable long-term solution was created in the form of a strategic outline case and was agreed by the PCT programme board and professional executive committee in March this year," she said. "This included support by the Royal Surrey County Hospital. This strategy has been set aside without explanation."

This week, MP Jeremy Hunt, who has been campaigning for the retention of beds and services in both Milford and Haslemere, met Dr Lee to discuss the future of the hospital.

"Closing Haslemere Hospital would be madness," he said. "It is financial nonsense hoping to save £570,000 at the Royal Surrey County Hospital while at the same time closing Haslemere Hospital."

The PCT has said that although it is consulting on the five options, it is also open to other suggestions if they saves money and modernises services.

Mr Hunt has suggested that another way of saving money would be for the PCT to close its administrative headquarters, as it is likely to be merging with other trusts in Surrey.

"Given that early next year the Surrey PCTs are likely to merge, Guildford and Waverley PCT's headquarters at Broadmead House, Farnham, is likely to be sold," he said.

"I believe that is a better way to save money and achieve recurrent financial balance, and all proposed closures of community hospitals should be scrapped in favour of this approach," said Mr Hunt.

Haslemere residents are being urged to turn out in numbers at the PCT's public consultation meeting in Haslemere Hall on January 19, at 2 pm.