NEWS that orthopaedic work currently carried out in Evesham could be transferred to the Independent Sector Treatment Centre at Kidderminster has received a mixed response from health figures.

Chief executive of Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, John Rostill, has welcomed the possibility of 400 extra routine day cases being carried out each year in Kidderminster - saying the treatment centre is "under-utilised".

The district's MP, Dr Richard Taylor, however, has slammed the proposal - saying the treatment centre was designed to "free beds in struggling acute hospitals ... not a community hospital doing grand service taking work away from the over-stretched acute hospitals".

Transferring orthopaedic activity at Evesham Hospital to Kidderminster is one of a series of proposals - including closing two rehabilitation wards at Evesham Hospital - being investigated by South Worcestershire Primary Care Trust as a way of achieving financial balance.

The PCT must save at least £4 million to balance its books in the current financial year.

Mr Rostill said the matter would have to go out for consultation but seemed sensible. "The point is £4 million needs to be saved," he said.

Explaining the PCT already had a contract with the Independent Sector Treatment Centre for this year, he said: "The (South Worcestershire) PCT have to pay for this, whether or not the patients actually get treated, so it makes sense for orthopaedic cases from Evesham to be transferred to Kidderminster."

He added: "We have a facility that is currently under-utilised and I reiterate that part of my rationale for going to Kidderminster was to work on schemes to make it more effective."

Dr Taylor said the move was "just an economy measure to try and bail out South Worcestershire PCT".

He added: "I welcome the treatment centre's wider use for patients from other parts of the country but not patients who are currently treated in a community hospital because that's where they should be treated.

"The ones we want are those filling up acute beds in acute hospitals, namely the Alexandra in Redditch and Worcestershire Royal."