COUNTY health chiefs came under fire once again at a public meeting in Studley.

Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust chief executive John Rostill faced tough questioning from the more than 100 residents who packed into Studley Village Hall last Tuesday night.

The future of health services at the Alexandra Hospital was the hot topic, particularly in the light of recent proposals to axe its maternity ward and reduce the paediatrics service.

But after the meeting, many residents said they felt Mr Rostill had not answered their questions satisfactorily.

Stratford District councillor for Studley Hazel Wright said: "I think the explanations from the chief executive were unsatisfactory and the questions asked by some of the audience were not answered."

She claimed a valid response was not given to a mum concerned about getting her asthmatic son to and from Worcester hospital at night, should the paediatrics service at the Alex be downgraded.

"The woman could not drive and the one way taxi fare would be £23," said Mrs Wright.

The former ex-health service manager added: "I felt that not everything about the proposals had been thought through. I am particularly concerned about the accessibility to Worcester from Studley."

Meanwhile, Save the Alex campaign leader Neal Stote said the trust had "a very weak argument" for its plans to transfer many Redditch services to Worcester.

But a trust spokesman, who attended the meeting, said: "I felt John did his best to answer some very complex questions."

He said Mr Rostill had attended "countless" meeting in the Redditch and Bromsgrove area over the last nine months and had always faced questions from the public.

"I would like to point out, as we have on many occasions, that we are in a pre-consultation stage and some of the questions asked are going to be things we are working to answer in the coming months. If we did not know the answer yet, then we said so."