THE eye laser at the Alexandra Hospital is staying put, it was revealed this week.

And calls are now being made to enlarge the hospital's ophthalmology service after a health watchdog claimed it was discriminated against.

The Bromsgrove and Redditch Community Health Council (CHC) said setting eye services at Worcester against those at Redditch was like comparing a 'Rolls-Royce with a bike'.

But CHC chief officer Moira Morris said the CHC was given an assurance from Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust chairman Harold Musgrove the eye laser would not move to another site.

It was bought after a public appeal by the hospital's League of Friends and the Redditch Advertiser but there were fears it would be moved to Kidderminster following a trust review.

The Alexandra Hospital has one full-time and one part-time eye consultant while Kidderminster has two and Worcester has three.

The Alexandra also has less specialist ophthalmic nurses and support nurses than the other two sites.

The CHC will make recommendations to the trust before the end of a Trust review.

A trust spokesman said the outcome of the review in December was not yet clear but any changes would be 'widely discussed' before implementation.

The spokesman also confirmed Mr Musgrove's comments about the eye laser staying put at the Alexandra.