SOUTHAMPTON hospital bosses look set to close up to 100 beds in their latest bid to save more cash.

Some of the beds affected are used by frail, elderly patients who are recovering from operations before they can return home.

Health chiefs say these patients can be cared for more appropriately in smaller community hospitals such as Western or Moorgreen, or in nursing homes. They also want to increase the number of operations without an overnight stay.

An audit carried out by Southampton Hospitals NHS Trust found that about 100 trust beds at Southampton General and Royal South Hants hospitals are occupied by patients who could be transferred elsewhere.

About 100 staff would be affected by the bed cuts. Hospital bosses are hoping to redeploy as many as possible to other posts within the trust, or the wider health and social care community.

Earlier this year, the trust announced 450 posts were to be axed as one of the ways for IT to save £15m this financial year.

So far, 150 posts have been removed by using fewer nursing and administrative agency and temporary staff.

However, bosses still have to get rid of another 200 posts in the trust before April.

Many of these may be redeployed within the trust - but trust chief executive Mike Hackett warned there could be redundancies.

He was unable to give exact figures, apart from saying it could be between 20 and 99 staff.

Talks are planned over the next few weeks with staff, trade unions and hospital departments.

Mr Hackett said of the proposed bed cuts: "More services will be provided closer to where patients live and we will be making more use of day surgery, which patients prefer."

He pointed out that the hospital was investing in critical care, cardiac and cancer services, and with the streamlining of services, there would be fewer cancelled admissions and fewer unnecessary delays.

Trust finance director Ben Lloyd has forecast that the trust will have a £14m deficit by April. He remains confident that the trust will be able to make the savings, having saved £11.7m so far.

"We always knew it was going to be a big financial challenge for us," he said. "But I remain optimistic that we would clear the deficit."

The proposals, to be agreed by Southampton University Hospitals NHS Trust board on Tuesday, are:

Close the nurse-led Unit Two (25 beds) at the Royal South Hants Hospital after January 31, 2005.

Turn medical ward F7 at Southampton General into a medical investigation unit for patients with emergency conditions (ten beds) after February 28, 2005.

Close a medicine and elderly ward at Southampton General (25 beds), where patients recovering from stroke, respiratory problems and heart failure are treated, on March 31, 2005.

Close one orthopaedic ward at Southampton General (26 beds) by March 31, 2005. There would be more use of day surgery and patients will be transferred to an independent treatment centre.