THE long-term future of Evesham's community hospital will be at the top of the agenda when Mayor Frances Smith meets South Worcestershire Primary Care Trust chief executive Paul Bates next week.

Mr Bates, who is temporarily in charge of the PCT, will speak with the Mayor in a private meeting at Evesham Community Contact Centre at 2pm.

It is seen as a good opportunity to allow both parties to air their views, get to know each other and find out the latest on health news, including the future of Evesham Hospital.

Mrs Smith said: "As soon as Paul became the Chief Executive I welcomed him and suggested we should arrange a meeting. And now after times when he had to pull out or I had mayoral duties, we are finally doing that.

"The meeting is for both of us to be able to put our messages across, but I want to find out what he thinks about the PCT situation in regard to Evesham Hospital.

"I will also take the time to explain to him that Evesham people are not getting the chances they need in order to get their views across."

Later on Monday at 7pm a public meeting will take place at Worcestershire County Hall to discuss proposals for the future of the NHS in Worcestershire.

The plans up for discussion are a proposal to form one West Midlands wide Strategic Health Authority to replace the existing three, a new PCT structure for Warwickshire and Worcestershire and to form one West Midlands Ambulance Trust.

The plans are likely to be opposed by Wychavon District Council's health scrutiny team leader Malcolm Meikle who believes that a structure based on the whole of the West Midlands will mean less face to face meetings and "seriously disadvantage" the area. He said: "A PCT for South Worcestershire and a Strategic Health Authority for South Midlands is as local as we have ever enjoyed.

"By face to face negotiating we managed to change the new Pershore Hospital from a single floor in an elderly persons home to a purpose built 25 bed Hospital."

Another meeting will take place on Wednesday, February 15 at 6.30pm in Pershore's Civic Centre.