THE outgoing boards of Kennet and North Wiltshire and West Wiltshire Primary Care Trusts have said their successor organisation should take a swift decision on the Pathways for Change consultation.

The boards agreed at a meeting last Thursday to let the Wiltshire Primary Care Trust, which starts on October 1, decide how many community hospitals close. No permanent chief executive or chairman has been appointed to the new PCT.

Gill Stafford, non executive director of Kennet and North Wiltshire PCT, was concerned the decision could be a drawn out process, although she agreed with her colleagues to defer the decision to the new PCT.

She said: "We could spend six months going backwards if we are not careful. I don't think that is fair to the public to do that."

Bishops Cannings resident Bill Sadleir asked why the boards embarked on the Pathways for Change public consultation when the Government had announced a merger of PCTs.

West Wiltshire PCT chairman Shiena Bowen said: "We debated long and hard whether we could pursue Pathways for Change with the reconfiguration of PCTs - it was a spanner in the works.

"We took guidance from the Strategic Health Authority. They were supporting us and in fact urging us to go ahead.

"We now, of course, have a new SHA who are taking a wider view of things. None of the work undertaken during Pathways for Change will be wasted."

Nicholas Gillard, director of planning and partnerships at the PCTs, said he had taken legal advice from one of the country's leading advisors.

"They have said that there are no legal reasons for the Wiltshire PCT to carry out further consultation," he said.

"Whatever administration is in place the irrefutable fact that NHS services in Wiltshire need to change does not go away."

Professor Alastair Bellingham, chairman of Kennet and North Wiltshire PCT, did not want any hold ups on the redevelopment of the Malmesbury Hospital site.

He said the full business case will be discussed at the PCTs' final meeting on September 28 and hoped that it would be agreed by the Wiltshire PCT at its first meeting.

Dr Peter Biggs, chairman of patient watchdog West Wiltshire PPI Forum was furious that the postponement of the decision was not announced earlier.

He said: "The press release was sent out on Friday and all the newspapers were already published on Friday. Members of the public who are here, expecting a decision to be made, have wasted their time."

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