CAMPAIGNERS claim they have unearthed a stark example of how services can be restored to Kidderminster.

Health Concern was already aware other downgraded hospitals such as Louth, Grantham and Hexham had retained accident and emergency departments.

Hexham, which is less than 20 miles from Newcastle and has only 125 beds, has been preserved as an acute general hospital.

But now campaigners have studied the Morecambe Bay Trust model which it says is on a par with Worcester-shire.

The trust's major hospitals are Lancaster Royal Infirmary, Furness General Hospital and Westmorland General Hospital, Kendal.

Health Concern councillor Dr Reg Johnstone said: "Other than geography we are not grossly different from this trust.

"If you compare the bed numbers the difference is ridiculous."

Dr Johnstone compared Lancaster RI with Worcester, Furness with Redditch and Kendal with Kidderminster.

Kendal, with a catchment of 80,000, 45,000 less than Kidderminster, has 232 beds, including a high proportion of acute beds, compared to 90 beds - but no acute ones - at Kiddermin-ster.

It serves a rural area like Kidderminster but has an emergency and minor accidents unit (EMAU) with on-site cover from associate specialist and staff grade doctors and nurse practitioners.

It deals with most cases but major trau-ma cases are sent to Lancaster or Barrow.

The EMAU was the recommendation made by the independent Kings Fund report for Kidd-erminster.

Kendal also has a coronary care unit, elective surgery and inpatient medicine, including heart attacks.

Meanwhile, Fur-ness General Hospital, Barr-ow, serves 110,000 people, and has 404 beds while the Alexandra, Red-ditch, with a catchment of about 170,000 has fewer than 300 beds.

The Lancaster and Kendal hospitals provide a service for a combined catchment of 200,000 people and have 775 beds.

Meanwhile, the new Worcester and downgraded Kidderminster hospitals which will service a combined catchment of 380,000 will have 674 beds.

Dr Johnstone said: "When you compare the number of beds per head of population the figure here is vastly greater.

"Whatever the trust has or has not done it has got its sums grossly wrong."