FIRST it was council leaders calling for a complete review into the long-running hospitals revamp, now it is MPs.

Redditch MP Karen Lumley, in a joint statement with Bromsgrove MP Sajid Javid and Stratford-on-Avon MP Nadhim Zahawi, has said that there should be a fresh review as long as it is swift and does not put health services at risk.

It comes after NHS England said more work needs to be done before a public consultation into the Future of Acute Hospital Services in Worcestershire project can be launched.

Examining the business case for the project which was submitted last month, NHS England said more work needs to be done before the consultation can be launched.

Although the organisation has said it supports the current proposal, which would see services centralised at the Worcester Royal hospital, it is unlikely the public consultation will be completed by the end of the year, having a knock-on effect on the project as a whole.

It was also revealed that alternative provider University Hospitals Birmingham (UHB) was not able to develop its option for the running of the Alex Hospital.

Mrs Lumley said: "Recently there have been calls to repeat the entire review of hospital services reconfiguration. Naturally, we have been concerned about the implications on the quality of patient care if the consultation were to be delayed by the Joint Services Review team.

"However, since then there have been a number of important developments. Firstly, NHS England has identified that further work needs to be done to complete the business case, before their approval for the start of public consultation.

"Secondly, we have spoken to Worcestershire Clinical Commissioning Group who have also raised concerns.

"Thirdly, we’ve continued to listen to the views of local residents, the Save The Alex campaign, and leaders of local councils."

She added: "Taking all of these developments into consideration, we believe that there is a case for a fresh review as long as it is swift and does not put our local health services at risk.

"This issue cannot be kicked into the long grass or solved with a short-term fix. We need a long-term solution that ensures the future of quality healthcare at our local hospital."

The joint statement also urged that the option for University Hospitals Birmingham to take over some services is properly considered.