FEARS have been raised over the future of a small community hospital after plans to relocate its stroke rehabilitation clinic were unveiled.

The service at Wanstead Hospital, in Hermon Hill, which is used by patients from across the borough, could now be moved to King George Hospital under proposals set out by Health for North East London.

Residents in Wanstead and surrounding areas fear the move could undermine the long term viability of the site - which is also home to a well-used blood-taking unit.

Helen Zammett, chair of the Counties Residents Association, was so concerned by the plan that she asked NHS representatives at a recent patients 'Link' meeting to guarantee the future of the hospital.

She said: "They couldn't guarantee it.

"If they remove the rehabilitation unit would the hospital remain viable?

"It would be a blow to local residents if it closes.

"If this goes what guarantee do we have that other services such as the phlebotomy (blood testing) unit at the hospital won't disappear too?"

Billy Figg, of Grove Park, Wanstead, uses the blood testing unit.

She said: "This would be just another case of them moving essential health services further away from those who need them in the interests of cutting costs.

"It would be a huge blow if they removed this service from Wanstead Hospital.

"We would be very much against this."

A spokeswoman for Health for North East London said: "These beds are currently housed in outdated buildings or are not easily accessible for local residents. Clinicians have told us it would be better to locate these services at King George. We need to make some services better and safer by providing them on fewer sites.

"This will allow more specialist staff with more experience to be on hand at any one time so that patients receive the best care.

"We are not planning to close (Wanstead Hospital). In fact the focus of our proposals is to bring more services closer to people's homes while centralising others to provide better specialist care.

"This might not be the best place for inpatient-rehabilitation beds but community hospitals such as these will instead be built up in the future to offer more services and outreach support for people living near-by."