A COMMUNITY hospital to serve patients in Worcester and Droitwich would ease pressure on beds at Worcestershire Royal Hospital, according to city MP Michael Foster.
His comments came after the Worcester News reported on Thursday that mid-Worcestershire MP Peter Luff had written to health secretary John Reid urging him to sort out the county's shortage of hospital beds.
In his letter, Mr Luff said there was "mounting concern" among the medical community in Worcestershire that Worcestershire Royal Hospital is "far too small for its purpose".
Mr Foster rejected comments that the hospital is too small but said he had been arguing for some time that a community hospital in Worcester - like the ones in Malvern and Pershore - would be a good way to ease pressure at the Royal.
"I know the hospital operates at a high level of capacity but this is something the whole health economy has to sort out and not just the acute hospital.
"Something like a community hospital would be a suitable facility to serve Worcester and Droitwich so we don't have the pressure on accident and emergency departments," he said.
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