THE Government has already taken action to avoid "another Kidderminster Hospital" it has been claimed.

A clause of the NHS Reform Bill will give scrutiny powers over the NHS to local councils.

This is being seen as a consequence of Dr Taylor's remarkable campaign and election victory by national political pundits.

The Bill, announced last week, proposes councils will be able to appeal to a national reconfiguration panel over any local NHS service changes they do not agree with.

However, Health Concern MP Dr Taylor, whose landslide victory highlighted public disgust at unelected quangos, is determined Kidderminster will not just be a trailblazer case to save others from downgrading.

He said: "We thought our campaign and subsequent victory would have an impact and it has but we don't want to be merely seen as an example to be learnt from.

"We are not going to keep quiet about Kidderminster just because the Department of Health regards the changes as done and dusted.

"We are determined to expose the truth about the hospital's downgrading and restore the vital services needed."

He added: "It seems this Bill proposes scrutiny will come from county council level. That is why it is tremendous news Health Concern had six councillors elected onto the authority last month."

Meanwhile, Dr Taylor is to head up an all-party group representing constituencies where rural and semi-rural acute general hospitals are under threat of downgrading.

He was asked by other MPs to set up the committee which will liaise with the Royal College of Surgeons, whose guidelines he believes were interpreted wrongly in the downgrading of Kidderminster Hospital.

He said: "We will hold an initial meeting this week to get the wheels in motion.

"The Royal College guidelines have been interpreted differently across the country. We need to liaise with them to expose the unfairness which has occurred in Kidderminster and elsewhere."