PARISH councils across Eastleigh have backed the fight against plans to shake-up the borough's frontline health services.

Eastleigh District Association of Parish Councils has formed its own think-tank to urge health bosses to put on ice the proposal to reshape primary care provision by 2002.

The association wants greater public consultation on the Southampton and South West Health Authority plan to form a new primary care trust in line with the local authorities of Eastleigh and Romsey.

The scheme would mean that 50,000 patients in the southern parishes would no longer be served by GPs, health visitors and other frontline carers from Southampton East Healthcare. A meeting of the parish council representative body was addressed by the honourary secretary of the Eastleigh Southern Parishes Older People's Forum, Diane Andrewes, fighting the plans on behalf of senior citizens.

Her concerns have been backed by a number of local parish councillors.

A spokesperson for their association said: "The feeling of members present was that the proposal to move the southern parishes into the Eastleigh North and Romsey Primary Healthcare Trust would be detrimental to the relationships already working in the present Southampton East Primary Healthcare Trust and was contrary to the wishes of the professionals.

"The association formed a working party to promote the concerns being expressed over the lack of consultation and urged the health authority to halt any moves to make the proposed changes until proper consultation had taken place."

Health authority chiefs, who are overhauling services across the south of the county, have promised a full consultation will take place ahead of the planned reform in March 2002.

The scheme must also win the backing of the secretary of state for health.