MALVERN should get a new hospital by 2008 if all goes to plan, primary care trust chief executive Mike Ridley said this week.

The promise was made to audiences at two public meetings in the Forum, on Monday evening and Tuesday afternoon.

Up to 800 people attended the two meetings, which were set up after a planned meeting at the Abbey Hotel last month had to be cancelled when more people turned up than could be safely accommodated in the 350-capacity Elgar Suite.

David Barlow, chairman of South Worcestershire Primary Care Trust, opened both meetings by apologising for that mistake.

Trust members outlined their plans for the hospital so far and stressed they were all keen to see it become a reality.

Mr Ridley said that since Malvern Hills District Council had withdrawn its offer of the Pickersleigh Road site, Seaford Court was now the favourite.

He said using Seaford Court would probably involve selling off part of the site to raise funds, as well as selling off the existing hospital site at Lansdowne Crescent.

"People talk about selling off the family silver, but I'm all in favour of that if it gets the hospital built," he said. "Any part of the site that's not needed for the hospital will be made to work for us."

He said money was not likely to come from the NHS, so selling off assets and finding a partner for the development were important.

The meeting also outlined the kind of facilities the new hospital may have.

Mr Ridley said that one of the strongest messages he was getting, both in the meetings and from written consultations, was the need for a minor injuries unit (MIU).

Director of public health Dr Tim Davies said 6,600 people a year from Malvern currently attend the accident and emergency unit in Worcester; about half of these could be dealt with at an MIU, a minimum of nine a day, although an MIU in Malvern could expect to attract many more people once it opened and people learned about it.

He said the unit was likely to be nurse-led and staffing it would cost about £150,000 a year.

Proposals for bed numbers include adding two extra general beds and four palliative care beds to the existing 18 beds.

The consultation ends on March 7, and a report will be submitted to the PCT board on April 6.

The PCT will then send an outline business case to the strategic health authority and if that is approved, would then agree a development partner and produce a full business case for approval by the SHA.