MORE than 70 people took a final chance to vent their anger over plans to close a popular Hampshire hospital.

Protesters still remained unconvinced by proposals to shut The Mount in Bishopstoke after the last in a series of public meetings, held just down the road from the threatened hospital.

Health bosses are planning to abandon The Mount in favour of community-based services.

But at the most animated consultation meeting since proposals for the new model were laid out - residents remained determined not to be swayed by what some have described as "wishy-washy" plans.

Barry Murfin, 53, of Church Road, Bishopstoke, said that none of his questions about what was actually going to happen to The Mount were answered during the meeting at Bishopstoke Community Association Hall.

"It was a load of rubbish," he said.

"Obviously they've got to say the new model will be better and more effective - they wouldn't say otherwise would they? But we still don't know where the new beds will be and we don't know what will happen to the hospital which is why I came here tonight."

Neil Table, 75, of St Margaret's Road in Bishopstoke, said that taking away The Mount was "criminal".

He added: "I don't feel any the wiser now. It's a done deal as far as I'm concerned. The Mount will go. I don't think they've made any real changes to the plans since the first meeting."

But health bosses stood firmly by their aim for the future which is to bring to a close a facility they say is just too costly and provide a new healthcare package that will offer:

New inpatient rehabilitation beds within a three-mile radius of The Point in Eastleigh.

Local outpatient physiotherapy clinics.

A new rehabilitation centre.

Eastleigh and Test Valley South Primary Care Trust chief executive John Richards said: "We knew there would be a lot of emotion at this meeting but we feel that we have had a useful discussion that we can take into consideration.

"We have been given a hard time and rightly so. These meetings have been about encouraging people to help us make better decisions and we have made alterations to the original plans."

The consultation period draws to a close on Thursday.

A board meeting to approve the plans will take place on May 25 at the Wells Place Centre at the back of the Swan Centre in Eastleigh.