MEMBERS of the public are being encouraged to attend a "Save Our Services" rally in aid of Redditch's Alexandra Hospital.

The rally, organised by Save the Alex Campaign group, aims to send a clear message to health chiefs as well as whoever is elected on May 7, that their first job after the election is to save the Alex Hospital.

Three years on from the launch of a review looking at acute hospital services in Worcestershire, the future of key services like A&E and maternity at the hospital hang in the balance.

The review, originally timetabled to take only six months, has been besieged by internal NHS wrangling, numerous delays and to date has cost millions.

The latest delay is the release of a crucial report that looks at the viability of the plans currently proposed.

NHS England has refused to release this report sighting election purdah, the pre-election shutdown period, as the reason.

However, the campaign group have questioned the delay and described those it claims are blocking the report’s release as “faceless bureaucrats”.

Neal Stote, leading the campaign, said: “The Alex’s team of four A&E consultants resigned sighting they believed the proposed model to be unsafe as it provides nothing more than a minor injury unit led by GPs.

"This, along with the recent announcement of A&E capacity being increased at Worcestershire Royal and Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust's increasing financial difficulties, means the Alex’s A&E department is at greater risk than at any time since the review started in June 2012."

He added: "The review has failed to consider all the possible ways to maintain services. Instead, it has spent the past three years looking how the current provider organisation can continue. The failure to consider out of county NHS providers has resulted with only one option being considered.

"This one option totally fails to addresses the concerns we and the public have about transport and capacity. It is clear the Worcestershire Royal can’t cope at the moment and would never cope with the additional demand if the Alex’s A&E were to be downgraded.

"The QE hospital in Birmingham have stated they could not cope with increased demand from North Worcestershire; Birmingham Women’s Hospital has also said that they have no additional birth capacity and could not deal with any of the 2,100 births that currently take place at the Alex Hospital.”

The rally is on May 2 with people asked to gather at Redditch Town Hall for 11am.

The campaign group is appealing for local dance, music and theatre groups to get in touch and is seeking sponsorship from businesses to promote the rally.

For more information or to get involved, email neal@savethealex.co.uk or call 07989 563 864.