CAMPAIGNERS fighting to save the Royal Surrey County Hospital have called on the Government and Surrey Primary Care Trust (PCT) to make their positions on the hospital's future clear. Members of the 'Save the Royal Surrey' campaign were reacting to the release of documents by the Department of Health on options for reorganising services within the Surrey PCT area. They claim the documents show central government appears to either have radically different ideas on the future of health care in the area or is not up to speed about what the options for future services are in Surrey. The campaigners claim the Department of Health's public position now appears to be different to that reached locally, after almost a year of deliberation. The information was discovered when Guildford MP Anne Milton received a copy of a letter from Dawn Primarolo MP, Minister of State at the Department of Health, enclosing two letters sent by the Department of Health's customer service centre to two Guildford constituents.  Campaigners claim the letter reveals the option of closing the Accident and Emergency Unit at the Royal Surrey is still very much open despite repeated assurances to the contrary from Surrey PCT. According to campaigners the letter from Richmond House also declares the option of creating a network of care between providers has not yet proved to meet the 'financial requirements' for future services, without setting out what these are. Campaigners argue this appears to be a different position from Surrey PCT, which made a public prediction of a surplus for the current financial year without any changes to services as they stand. Campaigners believe these letters from the Department of Health do not assist the PCT, which wishes to remove the option of the closure of accident and emergency services from the final consultation document and insist this latest incident will only serve to undermine public confidence in the consultation process. Professor Chris Marks, chairman of the 'Save the Royal Surrey' campaign, said: "The Department of Health has clearly not listened to the voices of thousands of campaigners in Surrey who have been calling for the Government to rule out the closure of accident and emergency services and other departments at the Royal Surrey. "Despite a campaign which has captured the imagination of local people and achieved coverage in publications as diverse as the Los Angeles Times and Private Eye, the new ministerial team in Whitehall are either not properly briefed or still believe that closure of busy, cost effective departments in hospitals which return surpluses is a necessity. "A possible merger between Frimley and Ashford St Peters together with the many collaborations between all three of the West Surrey hospitals which already exist, are seen by local managers and clinicians as the way ahead. "It is particularly concerning that the department has identified this collaboration as the option that has 'yet to demonstrate that it can achieve the financial objectives'. "I call on both central government and local decision makers to make their positions clear and to end the confusion over what will happen when the consultation is eventually published. "The people of Surrey have fought long and hard to keep their hospitals open and we are determined this will not be in vain. "Central government and the PCT must get the message that closing services at the Royal Surrey is unacceptable to local people." Haslemere's MP Jeremy Hunt, said: "The worry here is that the Government already seems to know about the options for consultation yet staff, patients and local people are still being kept in the dark.  "After repeatedly being told by the Government, the Strategic Health Authority and the PCT that a decision has not been made yet and that the decision would be taken by the PCT, these letters indicate that the Government is considering closing our local accident and emergency and doing it for financial reasons.  "This revelation highlights the importance of not getting complacent about the security of the hospital's future and we must continue the fight until we know that the Royal Surrey and its accident and emergency are safe." In a statement Surrey PCT said: "Surrey PCT would like to make it clear that it has not finalised any options for potential changes to health services in Surrey. "We have been openly discussing our progress with Creating an NHS 'Fit for the Future' with our staff, partners and local people and we are committed to sharing any new information, including any options for change, and a timescale for consultation, as soon as we can. "We would like to make it clear that the information contained in the letter from the Department of Health was based on old information. "It does not represent any options we have developed and it certainly doesn't reflect any options we will be consulting on. "The South East Coast Strategic Health Authority has addressed the issue with the Department of Health. "We recently issued our commissioning intentions to our acute hospital colleagues we are currently working through their responses to develop final options to consult on."

l The Save the Royal Surrey Campaign has also issued a message of support to anyone in the area of Surrey hit by the recent foot-and-mouth outbreak. Campaign chairman, Professor Chris Marks, said: "The campaign has benefited enormously through support from the rural community and I would like to express our support for farmers and all those who rely on the countryside at this difficult time. "The Save the Royal Surrey Campaign has shown that great community spirit exists in the county and I hope this can also be put to good use to help those affected by this crisis."