MORE than 240 signatures have been sent to the Evening News from patients at a Pershore GP surgery, backing our petition to save eight planned GP surgeries whose futures hang in the balance.

The funding problems which have hit health projects in West Worcestershire are set to be debated in the House of Commons this afternoon.

West Worcestershire MP Sir Michael Spicer was highlighting a change in funding rules which has thrown proposals for new health centres in Malvern, Upton-upon-Severn and Pershore into doubt.

The Tory MP was warning this could have a knock-on effect for the new community hospital in Pershore.

Coupled with this, Pershore Health Centre, in Priest Lane, is one of the surgeries whose future is uncertain after county health chiefs froze proposals to re-house it in a new state-of-the-art centre.

The planned surgeries were awaiting Government cash to get the go-ahead, and were thought to be very much in the pipeline.

However, the Department of Health changed its funding rules, which means it is likely the schemes will be the victim of a cash shortfall of millions of pounds.

Without Government intervention, scores of county communities, including Pershore, Worcester, Malvern and Upton-upon-Severn, will lose out on new surgeries that promised 21st Century health care.

The changes have also cast a shadow over the future of two proposed new community hospitals in Malvern and Pershore.

Our petition, which now has over 1,300 signatures, demands Mr Blair ensures the projects receive financially backing.

Worried pensioner Catherine Wallace, aged 84, of Rushers Close, Pershore, signed the petition at Pershore Health Centre, where she is a patient.

"I think what's happened is catastrophic and extremely shocking," said Ms Wallace.

"It really shows the Government cannot make its mind up about anything and it means patients are losing out.

"The knock-on effect this will have on the proposed cottage hospital in Pershore is also very worrying.

"There is no doubt that it's essential Pershore gets that hospital."

Bertie Lake, of Bedford Close, Pershore, who celebrates his 77th birthday on Saturday, was also one of the 241 Pershore Health Centre patients to sign.

"I'm all for the new surgeries and for the Evening News petition," he said.

"We think we get first-class treatment at the health centre but it is clear to the doctors that it needs to be moved so that it can provide even better services for patients, which is what we deserve."