Health bosses are considering cutting the number of beds at a rehabilitation unit.

It has emerged that plans have been drawn to remove 14 of the 46 beds at the Heronwood and Galleon wards at the Wanstead Hospital site in Makepeace Road.

Campaigners have raised concerns that it will have a "significant" impact on the community and add to pressure on other health facilities in the region.

A spokesman for Redbridge NHS Clinical Commissioning Group (CGC) said it was "looking at" a shake-up of rehab services but said no firm plans had been made.

Any changes would be subject to a public consultation.

It comes over two years since health bosses considered closing down the unit altogether and moving the service elsewhere, although those plans came to nothing.

Campaigner Helen Zammett, speaking on behalf of the Wanstead and Snaresbrook Residents' Alliance, said Redbridge's Health Scrutiny Committee were informed of the plans during a visit to the site on Thursday.

She said: "If [the reduction in beds] were to happen, it would have a significant impact on our local community, which has a large proportion of elderly residents. 

"Also, it would put extra stress on local community health services as well as the services provided at Whipps Cross, King George Hospital and Queen’s Hospital Romford, all of which are showing signs of strain."

But the CGC spokesman said: "GPs are looking at ways to improve local rehabilitation services, not reduce or cut them.

"We want local people to have access to high quality, safe services, closer to home where possible, so we wouldn’t commission anything that would impact negatively on health. 

"Productivity improvements and increased community services should result in less need for bed based services, but we are clear that any patient who needs a rehabilitation bed will have access to one as they do now."

He added: "Wider proposals on changes to services would be subject to a public consultation."

The wards provide a variety of rehabilitation and continuing care services,  mainly to elderly people who have been discharged from hospital.

The unit was criticised by government watchdogs the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in June 2012 following an inspection which found flaws in the planning of care and the unit's complaint process.

However an inspection in April found improvements and concluded that the unit was now meeting standards.