QUESTIONS will be asked about Malvern's new hospital project at a public meeting at Malvern Theatres on Friday, March 24.Malvern Town Council has called the meeting to give people a chance to push for progress on the hospital plans. Town council chairman Ralph Madden said it was deliberately taking a lead in pressing the case for a new hospital."We had hoped to hold this meeting in December but with the delay in the business plan and then Mike Ridley (the former PCT chief executive) leaving, we had to delay it," he said.The chief speaker will be Paul Bates, new chief executive of South Worcestershire Primary Care Trust, who will face public questions about the project for the first time. He will give a talk about the new hospital, which came a step closer to reality last week when its outline business plan was approved.Coun Madden said Mr Bates would also be covering things like new surgeries and other changes in healthcare delivery. Mr Bates's talk will be followed by questions from the the public.Coun Madden said confirmed participants include MP Sir Michael Spicer, PCT chairman David Barlow and Dr James Mather of the Court Road surgery. It is also hoped that acute hospital trust chief executive John Roskill and veteran hospital campaigner Pat Merrick will be able to attend.Questions should be submitted in advance of the meeting. Arrangements for this will be announced closer to the date.

PCT chairman David Barlow this week hit out at West Worcestershire MP Sir Michael Spicer for criticising the Malvern Hospital outline business case.In a column for the Malvern Gazette's sister paper the Worcester News Sir Michael criticised it for not being a proper business plan and taking things no further forward than the wish lists of the past. Sir Michael said it made no firm proposals and there was no indication of what the PCT thought a new hospital should look like, let alone how it might be financed.In an open letter to the MP, Mr Barlow said the document was produced to convince the Strategic Health Authority of the case for a new hospital and did not go into financial detail to leave all options open for imaginative solutions.n A PUBLIC meeting on the future of the NHS has been called by Malvern Hills District Council. The meeting will be held at Dyson Perrins High School on Thursday, February 23, at 7pm. The idea is give local people a say on proposed NHS reforms, including changes in the primary care trusts, strategic health authorities and ambulance trusts. Written information will be available at the meeting, on 0845 257 7045 or www.nhswestmidlands.org.uk.