SAVE the Alex campaigners have hit out after a national newspaper ran an advert looking for people to chair the newly configured health service - despite no final arrangements being made.

Neal Stote and the Save the Alex Action Group is demanding to know why money has been spent on advertising for posts in up to 130 proposed organisations which are yet to get the go-ahead.

The future of the country's Primary Care Trusts (PCT), Strategic Health Authorities (SHA) and Ambulance Trusts are currently being reviewed.

The Government is recommending the creation of regional PCTs, SHAs and Ambulance Trusts instead of the current local services.

And while the advert acknowledges the consultation process, Mr Stote says he feels residents are just being paid lip service.

"I feel the whole thing has been a con, a complete sham. How can we trust health chiefs when things like this happen?" said the Greenlands dad.

"The public had been told no decisions had been made so how can the public believe this when the posts for these new organisations were placed during the consultation period?

"The adverts mention the consultation process but why would health chiefs place them, at great expense to the taxpayer if the changes were not going to take place?"

He urged residents to attend the SHA board meeting at Osprey House, Prospect Hill, on April 5 at 10am.

But an SHA spokesman said: "These appointments are to a national pool of potential Primary Care Trust chairmen. Whether or not they are appointed to permanent posts will depend on ministerial decisions on PCT configuration, once consultation has concluded and feedback has been considered.

"This is necessary contingency planning. If a decision is made to change PCT configuration, we would need to be able to move quickly to establish the new organisations in order to minimise uncertainty for staff and for business continuity.

"This includes having full boards as soon as possible so decisions can be taken and staff transferred to the new organisations."