A PUBLIC meeting to discuss the possible downgrading of the Alexandra Hospital, which was due to be held on January 20, has been postponed.

Campaigners are disappointed they will not have the chance to quiz members of Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust about the possible cutbacks until later in the spring.

The Redditch Town Hall meeting was billed as a follow-up to the meeting held in November. It has been postponed to give the trust board longer to consider its final proposals for the site before a 12-week public consultation period.

A spokesman for Redditch MP Jacqui Smith, who was due to again chair the meeting, said: "We have to keep the pressure up but the reason for having a public meeting is to let the public know what is happening and if nothing has happened, there is little point."

But Neal Stote, who is spearheading the savethealex campaign, said: "I don't think the postponement is a good idea at all. We need to keep up the momentum.

"Trust managers are delaying it because they claim they have nothing new to say - yet the board is meeting just two weeks later on February 2 and they will clearly have something to say there."

He added: "Surely, if there is a meeting to be held in March then there is going to be things to say before then. There is so much happening behind closed doors that really needs to be in the public domain.''

Mr Stote said that in view of the proposal made by doctors at the Alex on Friday to de-merge the hospital, a January meeting was essential.

"This report could be a major development yet we are not going to be given the chance to discuss it, which I think is an insult."