TWO of the six potential models for the future of Worcestershire’s hospital services being considered by the NHS’s joint services review would be “unsustainable” according to clinicians.

Rose Johnson, associate medical doctor and A&E consultant at Worcester’s Worcestershire Royal Hospital, was speaking at the public meeting in Kidderminster Town Hall on Saturday.

She said one model which would see “no change” and another which would see women and children’s services brought together on one site, two acute hospital sites with full A&E and one hospital treatment centre in the county were “not viable”.

Those options remain on the table only to show the joint services review’s “working out” but will ultimately be thrown out.

The other four options were described as “safe and achievable” and it was recommended they should be considered further at the shortlisting stage of the review in August.

Of the models still being considered, two would threaten acute services at Kidderminster Hospital with closure, leaving a minor injuries facility, diagnostic services and outpatient services, in some form, on the site.

Mrs Johnson said: “We are having to provide more with the same amount of money. Continuing with those two models would not be sustainable.

“For the [no change - three sites with fully staffed medical rotas] model, the difficulty is around maintaining staff rotas. We would not be able to manage those rotas.

“The model which contains women and children’s services into one site is the model we - about 100 clinicians - had the most debate about.

“If, for example, I am dealing with a very sick child, I need around me a team of doctors who are experts in looking after children. Without them around it would not be a safe way of dealing with care.”

The next stage of the county hospital review process will see the potential models of care being shortlisted against criteria such as deliverablility and quality and another round of public engagement events will take place in August.