MPs in Worcestershire have voiced concern over shock cuts to community hospital beds - urging health bosses to reconsider.

Robin Walker and Harriett Baldwin are among those lobbying NHS chiefs to rethink a 44 per cent reduction in beds at Worcestershire’s mini-hospitals, saying they fear it putting more pressure on A&E.

As the Worcester News revealed yesterday the 324 beds at small sites in Malvern, Pershore, Tenbury, Evesham and Bromsgrove face being cut to 182 by 2020/21.

The change is part of a significant five-year shake-up of healthcare, with the service facing a stark £250 million funding 'gap' unless it reforms across Worcestershire and Herefordshire.

Acute trust bosses want to fund a wave of new at-home care services, including sending nurses into neighbourhoods, as part of a radical attempt to reduce the need for people to visit hospitals in person.

An 83-page dossier called the Sustainability and Transformation Plan (STP) has been put out for consultation, which also commits to reducing back office costs 20 per cent to help prop up the front line.

Mr Walker, who represents Worcester, said: “What I welcome with the proposals is that you can see a lot of the detail, and the key thing is that we shift as many resources as we can to the front line.

“It does show real-term funding increases to most front line areas and a reduction in back office spend like management, and if we can deliver that I welcome it.

“But we still need as much capacity as general and we need to be very, very wary of any reduction in the number of beds, that’s something I am not keen on.

“If anything I’d like to see more beds, rather than fewer so that’s something I am pushing back on.”

Mrs Baldwin, who represents West Worcestershire, added: “I am carefully studying these proposals and have requested a meeting with the STP team.

“But at first glance I can't see the sense in closing community beds when there's pressure on the acute trust.”

Sarah Duggan, who is leading the STP proposals, says the health service “faces significant challenges” but insists the NHS can do things better if it concentrates on reform.

She said: “In Worcestershire we have based our plans around the feedback from local people over recent years and we want to continue these conversations to help shape our thinking and develop them into more detailed proposals.”