BIDFORD residents could lose their local physiotherapy service if health officials go ahead with plans to centralise services at Alcester Hospital.

South Warwickshire Primary Care Trust is currently debating whether to move some physiotherapy services from around Warwickshire, including Bidford, to Alcester for easier access and efficiency.

Elderly residents at Icknield Court in Bidford met John Maples MP last Friday to discuss their concerns.

Phyllis Story, who has previously had physiotherapy on her knee and shoulder twice a week, said she could not afford taxis to Alcester and the hourly bus service from Bidford did not stop near the hospital.

Freda Fitch, who manages the 32 sheltered housing bungalows, said the cutback would mean several elderly residents in the homes would miss out on treatment.

"This will mean a lot of disruption for a lot of vulnerable people. A lot of them would not go to the hospital and would simply not have the treatment they need," she said.

Resident Gordon Locke said the daily physiotherapy service at Bidford was so popular there was often a waiting list for treatment.

"This seems like a short-sighted approach," he said. "The new health centre in Bidford has a physiotherapy suite in the plans so I can't understand why they are talking of moving it."

Mr Maples said he was aware the health service was making cutbacks in frontline services to save money but he had not been aware of plans to move the physiotherapy service.

"Instead of having a physiotherapy unit at say, 20 places around South Warwickshire, they have them at five. But if you've got one here it seems crazy to take it away. They have a room for physiotherapy which they can't rent out and they pay the physiotherapist's wages," he said.

Ms Fitch said she was told by a local health professional that the trust was looking to cut physiotherapy referrals by 24 per cent to meet national figures, reduce the service and cut staff levels accordingly, which the trust has denied.

Sarah Bannister, head of communications at the trust, said at this stage they were only discussing the possibilities and would be consulting doctors and health staff before deciding whether public consultation on any plans in Warwickshire were necessary.