HEALTH chiefs this week strenuously denied the closure of more than half of the beds at Williton Community Hospital was "the thin edge of the wedge".

And they were adamant that the closure of one of the hospital's two wards, reducing the beds from 45 to 20, would have no effect on West Somerset patients, while no staff would be made redundant.

But the promises came with the caveat that no-one could see into the future - and there was no guarantee where staff would be deployed if jobs were not available in West Somerset.

Jan Hull, deputy chief executive of NHS Somerset, and Judith Brown, deputy chief executive of the Somerset Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, said the future of the hospital was currently safe.

"We will keep this under close review. We want this to be the best service possible for people in Williton," Mrs Hull said.

The pair were quizzed alongside Williton GP Andrew Dayani at Monday's meeting of West Somerset Council's scrutiny committee.

More than 40 residents, hospital staff and members of the hospital's league of friends packed into the council chamber to hear the them answer questions about both the decision and impact of the closure.

As exclusively revealed in the Free Press last month, hospital owners the Somerset Partnership NHS Foundation Trust decided to close the general Brendon Ward following a review.

That meant the former exemplar stroke unit, Dunkery Ward, would be split into ten dedicated stroke beds and ten general admission beds.

A further 12 beds would be kept open on 'standby' should demand increase.

At the time, health chiefs stressed the bed reduction was not a "cut in services" but an attempt to match bed capacity with demand.

Staff described the decision as a "tragedy and an outrage" and said that while there may not be job losses, staff did not want to be redeployed to hospitals further afield.

Mrs Hull told Monday's meeting there was a national drive to treat stroke patients at home to help them maintain their independence and speed recovery.

She said medical research had shown patients who could be treated at home fared better and said the NHS was investing in its care-at-home services.

That, coupled with the opening of a dedicated stroke unit in South Petherton to cater for more patients from the Taunton area, meant there had been a drop in demand for beds in Williton.

"We have reshaped the service in Williton and there is a greater focus in getting patients home in a timely manner.

"The evidence is saying people are better off going straight home and having rehabilitation where they are used to their surroundings.

"But those in Williton and Watchet who do need rehabilitation [in hospital] will still have a bed, just as they do now," Mrs Hull said.

Mrs Brown said a patient's home circumstances would always be looked into before deciding whether a discharge for care-at-home or a hospital stay was the best option.

She said the early discharge scheme had been in place for a year and the foundation trust had found it was able to discharge people far earlier from the stroke unit in Williton as a result.

She was adamant admission figures from the last two years proved that 20 beds would now be sufficient at the hospital but pledged that the 12 'standby' beds could be utilised for local people if they were needed.

"Over the last two years there have absolutely been enough beds in the system.

"We will still have 12 beds ready to go . . . if we have local people needing a bed we will look at one of those 12 beds for them," Mrs Brown said.

However, Mrs Hull later said the NHS had yet to agree a figure which would trigger the use of the standby beds.

Councillors said they believed it was highly unlikely an entire ward would be reopened for just one patient and also doubted Mrs Hull's and Mrs Brown's claims that there had always been enough beds to go around before the ward closure.

Council chairman Cllr Tony Knight said he had had personal experience of local patients who had been unable to get beds in Williton and said he doubted how well older stroke victims would be able to cope if they were sent home to recuperate.

Cllr Eddie May said he was disappointed a dedicated stroke unit that was once rated as a "centre of excellence" was being closed.

"I don't agree with your reasoning. Nobody here has admitted it's cheaper to have people treated in their own homes.

"When you have to go home, you see someone four or five times a day and you just stay sat in the chair all day - you're better off in a community hospital," Cllr May said.

Cllr Doug Ross said he was concerned members of the hospital's league of friends had not been fully consulted on the closure, while league member Shirley Dee was critical of the decision to close the palliative care room known as Grace's Room.

Mrs Brown said there was no intention to remove palliative care from the hospital and she and Mrs Hull accepted there could be more communication between NHS chiefs and the league of friends.

Cllr Martin Dewdney said Williton was being made to suffer due to "over provision" of hospital beds as a result of the £17 million refurbishment of South Petherton Community Hospital.

He refused to accept the ward closure was a reaction to meet demand and accused Mrs Brown and Mrs Hull of cost-cutting to meet overspending elsewhere in the trust.

Although his claims were greeted by applause from members of the public, Mrs Hull said his assumptions were wrong and the decision to close the ward had been totally evidence based.

Dr Dayani confirmed he had met the findings of the bed review at Williton Hospital with "great trepidation" but the figures proved demand had dropped and it was a medical fact people recovered more quickly at home rather than in a hospital.

"The number of people going into stroke beds across the county has declined.

"At no point in the last two years has there been a shortage of community hospital beds or a time when patients in West Somerset have been unable to have a bed.

"Over the last six months, due to the redecoration and refurbishment of a ward, the hospital has been running on reduced beds.

"We have figures for the last six months and at no time during that time was there a shortage of beds where patients could not be admitted," Mr Dayani said.

As a result, he said he had felt unable to contest the trust's decision to reduce bed space and close a ward.

The trust maintained that, on average, beds had been less than three-quarters full at the hospital as fewer patients had been being admitted due to improvements in the way stroke patients were rehabilitated.

Mrs Hull gave the committee her assurance that the impact of the bed reduction would be continually monitored and reviewed.