A COMPREHENSIVE health survey will find out what people really think about plans to close the emergency operations centre in Bransford.

Richard Burt, the Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate for West Worcestershire, says the survey will hit 37,000 homes in the constituency in which he hopes to stand for election.

Mr Burt, speaking from the party's annual conference at Brighton, said: "We have included a question asking whether or not local residents support the Trust's plans to close Bransford, and I have asked people to return their response to me by return of post so that we can deliver local people's verdict to the trust.

"It is quite clear that local people would like to see Bransford maintained and enhanced as jointly proposed by myself and staff in order to give Worcestershire and Herefordshire the best possible ambulance emergency cover for the future."

The Worcester News has broken the 2,000 signature barrier for our "Keep it Local" campaign to stop the closure of Bransford on the grounds that vital, life-saving local knowledge would be lost.

The trust also plans to close a centre in Shrewsbury to create two regional call centres at Brierley Hill and Stafford.

A spokesman for West Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust said: "We welcome any views about the public consultation and the more views we have got the better. As we draw to the end of the consultation period on Monday, October 1 we have held 120 meetings, including public meetings, radio phone-ins, meetings with local authorities, MPs, patients forums and many other interested parties."

The views from the consultation are expected to be presented to the trust board on Tuesday, October 9 and the board is likely to take a final decision on the proposal on Wednesday, November 28.

To register your views visit www.wmas.nhs.uk or email consultation@wmas.nhs.uk