SW SURREY MP Jeremy Hunt has criticised health chiefs after they rejected his proposals to save bed closures at Farnham Hospital.

The board of the Guildford and Waverley Primary Care Trust (PCT) held a consultation in public yesterday (Thursday) at Godalming Baptist Church on the future of healthcare services provided at Farnham, Haslemere, Cranleigh and Milford hospitals.

The meeting took place after the PCT's recent pledge to temporarily close 51 community care beds across Waverley, of which 10 belong to Farnham Hospital and 16 to Haslemere Hospital, as part of its controversial bid to slash costs, due to a financial crisis after a predicted £6.2 million overspend on its annual budget.

The PCT formally consulted on five options that could see permanent bed closures at Farnham and Haslemere hospitals and the closure of Milford and Cranleigh hospitals.

Yet Jeremy Hunt, MP for South West Surrey, has fiercely criticised the PCT's proposals. He, along with Guildford MP Ann Milton and the Cross Community Group (CCG), had presented the PCT with an alternative option calling for the PCT to withdraw its bed closure proposals and instead saves costs by implementing short and long-term measures such as enforcing a non-clinical vacancy programme so no new employees are hired, selling off all excess land assets and and using a greater number of practice nurses and third parties in chronic disease management to prevent secondary care.

But Mr Hunt's proposals have been rejected by the PCT on the grounds that they are not "financially viable" and were not considered as an alternative option during the PCT's consultation - a decision much to Mr Hunt's disappointment.

"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 head-long 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."