A STAFF crisis has forced health chiefs to close 10 beds in Milford Hospital and "transfer" them to Farnham Hospital.

Guildford and Waverley Primary Care Trust has announced it is intending to reopen six closed beds at the 84-bed Farnham Hospital and reuse them as rehabilitation beds.

The remaining lost beds would be "found" by converting four existing beds at Farnham into consultant-led rehabilitation beds to meet the need.

A spokesman for the trust said it was not possible to give any information about the current use of the four beds that will be "lost" to their current use in advance of a meeting of the trust due to take place yesterday (Thursday).

The six beds to be reopened are "nurse-led" beds – beds to which patients are admitted under the management of a nurse consultant rather than a doctor.

Although the new community hospital opened less than two years ago, the use of its beds is subject to a review, the findings of which will not be known until the end of the year. However, the closure of beds around Christmas, so soon after the hospital opened, led to fears for staff jobs and even for the future of the hospital.

At the same time there was alarm at proposals that could have seen 50 of Farnham's beds used to replace rehabilitation beds from Milford Hospital, displacing Farnham patients to the Royal Surrey County Hospital at Guildford.

It is feared the setback of losing 10 beds at this stage could sound the death knell for the under-threat Milford Hospital.

Staff vacancies at the rehabilitation hospital have risen to 42 per cent, leaving them unable to cope with the number of patients.

In the report due to be received yesterday, health chiefs were due to hear that uncertainty over the future of the hospital has badly affected staff recruitment, leading to the decision to stop new admissions for the 10 beds.

The board of the Guildford and Waverley Primary Care Trust was due to hear that "critical" staffing levels meant excessive use of agency staff who are unfamiliar with the speciality of elderly rehabilitation.

Last month the trust was unable to find the staff to fill 53 shifts and the situation was expected to worsen over the summer. Overtime and sickness rates had increased and there are not enough experienced staff. The decision was taken last week to suspend admissions to 10 beds on Oak Ward and plan "for the reprovision of the service at Farnham Hospital and centre for health during August".

The remaining staff at Milford Hospital are to be consolidated and work on its two remaining wards.

The news has not been well received by campaigners fighting for the future of the hospital.

As previously reported, the cash-strapped PCT is looking at the future of the hospital, including closing it, in a bid to reduce its financial deficit.

Added pressure to close the hospital has been heaped on the PCT by the government which has sent a letter to it urging it to get its finances in order after incurring a deficit of £5.9 million in the last financial year.

A statement from the Milford Joint Campaign Group, led by South West Surrey MP Jeremy Hunt and campaigner Simon Cordon, expressed "dismay and anger" at the news.

"This is death by a thousand cuts for Milford, and we utterly deplore this decision," the statement said.

"The PCT must accept that its own failure to resolve Milford's future lies behind the staffing crisis at the hospital.

"We want to work closely with the new PCT acting chief executive Jane Dale to secure a viable long term future for the hospital," it said.

"With the right visionary leadership, Milford can not just survive, it can prosper for many years to come."