A HEALTH boss has revealed that an option to close and sell off Kidderminster's beleaguered hospital is on the table - although it is unlikely to gain favour.

Nevertheless, the proposal will have to be considered as part of the consultation exercise being undertaken by debt-ridden Worcestershire Hospitals Acute Trust in a bid to save more than £20 million.

The confirmation that Kidderminster could be in the frame came in a letter from trust chairman Michael O'Riordan to Wyre Forest's health campaigning MP, Dr Richard Taylor.

It was written in response to Dr Taylor's fears - reported exclusively in the Shuttle/Times & News last week - that Kidderminster Hospital could face further cuts in services to appease protesters angered by proposed cuts elsewhere in the county - notably the downgrading of the Alexandra Hospital at Redditch.

Mr O'Riordan wrote: "I will not deny that the closure/sale of Kiddermin-ster is one such option which has been put before us and as such will need to be considered however unlikely such option may be."

He added that the trust had resolved to do as much day case work as possible at Kidderminster to relieve the pressure on the Worcestershire Royal and the Alexandra Hospital.

Mr O'Riordan also told the Shuttle/Times & News: "It has been put to us, why do you not change the Kidderminster services and concentrate on the two sites with accident and emergency, which are at Redditch's Alexandra Hospital and the Worcestershire Royal."

He declined to reveal who had made the suggestion but clarified that by service changes what was meant was removal of services.

Mr O'Riordan acknowledged that some suggested options would be "non-runners" and stressed that the trust had a duty to balance its books and that in resolving the cash crisis it had to ensure the facts and figures of action stood up to scrutiny.

He said the trust was taking notice of all views that were being expressed following last month's publication of the Finnamore Management Consultants pre-consultation report, in which Kidderminster did not figure significantly among the cost-cutting options.

Mr O'Riordan said: "At the moment it is a listening exercise, gathering views from across the county and we are not working to a tablet of stone programme. No absolute decisions have been made.

"We are open to discussion and are listening but we have views as well."

The trust's project board will consider a further options report on Friday, November 25, after which Mr O'Riordan plans to announce which options were not included.

Members will decide their preferred option - or options - from the report and a more detailed analysis will then be carried out before public consultation starts in January.

The board agreed last Friday to put the three-month long public consultation back to the new year to give more time for the current airing of views because of the "degree of interest and concern" sparked by the first report.