HEALTH chiefs were due to meet today to rubber-stamp proposals which will see the shutters go up at Bishopstoke's Mount Hospital next month.

Winchester and Eastleigh Healthcare NHS Trust is set to pull the plug on the much-loved hospital ahead of schedule.

It will mean the end for 36 in-patient beds and outpatient rehabilitation services, primarily for the elderly.

Problems recruiting the right number of experienced staff to run the hospital have been blamed. The trust says that, despite the best efforts of the three NHS organisations involved, extra staff could not be secured to provide a "clinically safe service" at The Mount after September.

Already, a stop has been put on placing people in in-patient beds at The Mount and now plans have been drawn up to begin the transfer of patients to Winchester's Royal Hampshire County Hospital.

At present there are no plans to close the day hospital or physiotherapy departments that operate from the site.

The decision to axe in-patient beds was said to be based on advice from senior doctors and nurses, and was supported by Eastleigh and Test Valley South, plus Mid Hampshire primary care trusts (PCTs).

But a Winchester and Eastleigh Healthcare spokesman has insisted that the move is temporary until new PCT-led services are set up.

She also said that the relocation of in-patient beds would not affect the agreed plan of all the NHS organisations to replace services in the locality as soon as possible.

The aim is that only a small number of patients will need to be transferred to the Royal Hampshire County Hospital next month and assurances have been given that:

Each patient's needs will be individually assessed

Care plans will be drawn up under the guidance of senior staff

Patients and relatives will be "closely involved" throughout the process.

Thirty-nine jobs will be affected by the closure of the in-patient beds but health chiefs say there will be no compulsory redundancies andall staff will be offered jobs at Winchester.

Keith Douglas, director of modernisation at Eastleigh and Test Valley South PCT, said: "We are disappointed that, despite all efforts, the rehabilitation services will have to be temporarily relocated.

"We want to ensure that community-based rehabilitation services are introduced as soon as possible.

"We will do all we can to accelerate this part of our plan, with a desire to see some developments in place early in the new year."