IT'S OFFICIAL - the death knell has now been sounded on The Mount Hospital.

However, although the writing is on the wall for the old hospital buildings at Bishopstoke, residents have been given a glimmer of hope with the possibility of rebuilding new services on the site.

Trust bosses yesterday approved plans to remodel a new system of healthcare that has no intention of retaining the existing care currently provided at The Mount.

They were quick to add that this did not rule out using the land to develop new bed units under the new and improved community-based model.

Bishopstoke Age Concern secretary Annette Stratton said it was a compromise: "I think people will be sad that the old hospital must go but happier that there is a possibility of continuing to use the site."

She added: "Though the cynical side of me says that perhaps this is just a way of deferring complete closure of the entire site until a later date when people have given up, I hope this is not the case."

Trust bosses want to adopt a new healthcare package for residents of Eastleigh and the surrounding area by summer next year.

Residents have made their concerns known over the proposals at several consultation meetings held since last November. Yesterday the decision was out of their hands as the Eastleigh and Test Valley South PCT approved the plans.

The PCT must now decide whether to create a new NHS building - which could be located at the existing Bishopstoke site - or whether to contract out the buildings and/or service to an independent provider managed by the PCT. This and finer details will be discussed by the board in July.

An option to send patients to the Royal County Hampshire Hospital in Winchester, a huge fear of many residents when the proposals were first introduced last year, was dismissed outright.

Trust chief executive John Richards said: "A clear decision has been made to put the new service model of healthcare into place in the future. This does not involve the present buildings at The Mount. It doesn't matter what option we decide on but from a business point of view I think contracting out to an independent provider would be best."