A PLEA has been made this week for a halt to plans to move 10 orthopaedic beds from Milford Hospital until its overall future is known. Campaigners have argued that the beds should remain at the hospital and be considered at the same time as the other beds and services at the facility, because a new plan for its future is being drawn up. As previously reported by The Herald, health chiefs have put their plans to close Milford Hospital on the back burner, while they come up with an alternative proposal which saves cash and makes the best use of resources. This is after the Guildford and Waverley Primary Care Trust, which runs the hospital, said that its original plans to close the hospital and redistribute its beds and services were not "exactly right for the future". Instead it intends to go back to the drawing board and form a new overall plan for the future of the hospital, which is known as the Milford Assessment Rehabilitation Centre (MARC). However, it is pressing forward with separate proposals to transfer 10 orthopaedic beds to the Royal Surrey County Hospital. Yesterday (Thursday), Surrey County Council's health scrutiny committee, which has the power to refer the decision to the Secretary of State for Health, was due to discuss the plans for the orthopaedic beds. Campaigners were hoping to pursuade those at the meeting to reject the proposals and put pressure on the PCT to put a halt to the plans. At last Friday's meeting of the county council's local committee for Waverley, councillors said that it was vital to keep the two issues together. Waverley borough councillor Chris Slyfield told the meeting that a cross-community campaign had helped to bring about the PCT's decision, but that he was deeply worried about the future of the hospital. "I am concerned about the future of the day hospital," he said. "The loss of MARC would represent a significant loss of health care for the surrounding area." He put forward a recommendation that the committee formally object to the closure of the 10 orthopaedic beds, and ask that the PCT considers their future alongside the overall future of the hospital. Mr Slyfield was backed by county councillor David Munro who said that it was vital to consider both together. "I am not in any way convinced that we can separate the two issues of the future of Milford Hospital and the future of the orthopaedic beds," he said. "It is one package." Members of the committee agreed to forward its views to the primary care trust. It also submitted its views to yesterday's health scrutiny committee.
