CONCERNED Vale residents turned out in force to ask questions about the future of the county's health services and Pershore Cottage Hospital.

They packed Wychavon Civic Centre last Thursday to fire questions at the chief executive of the South Worcestershire Primary Care Trust cuts in services which are being proposed following the Trust's £5m debt.

Their chief concern was the future of the hospital. Wychavon district councillor Trudy Burge challenged Mr Mike Ridley to give assurances that the minor injuries unit would be reopened as soon as possible. She said: "Is it not the case that the staff on sick leave actually returned to work over a month ago? Mr Ridley relied that he had been told by his head of nursing that neither staff nor required skills had reached an acceptable level.

Mr Ridley gave no assurances as to the future of Pershore hospital, but he did say a reduction of beds in South Worcestershire was "unlikely" as other ways were being looked at to reduce the deficit.

Mr Ridley, the former finance officer of the previous Worcestershire Health Authority, admitted that the deficit, built up over several years, could be put down to bad management.

"I will take some of the blame for that, but I have to see that the deficit is eradicated," he said.

He said care experts such as GPs and nurses were being consulted first and their recommendations were due to be brought before a Trust Board meeting in March. Public consultation would then run from April to June.

He also hinted that despite a cash injection of an extra nine and a half per cent into next year's trust budget, he was looking for "one-off money" to help repay the debt run up by the trust. He said this might be obtained by selling off a community hospital, health centre or a piece of land.

"If I can sell something, I can use that money to repay the debt," he said.

Councillor John Grantham said that Mr Ridley had given "quite strong clues" as to the future of the hospital.

"I believe you're going down the road of selling it off to an investor, who will want to see a return on his capital so the services in the long term will be more expensive."