NHS bosses have announced plans to scrap services at a number of Oxfordshire's community hospitals in a bid to improve services for elderly patients.

The news comes after the Oxford Mail revealed confidential draft documents earlier this month, outlining proposals to close units in Abingdon, Wantage, Didcot and Henley.

Although managers involved in the county-wide scheme have confirmed it will have the biggest impact on hospitals in the south, they claim no final details will be drawn up before the idea is put out to public consultation in the spring.

Protesters have pledged to fight against any plans to close their community hospitals. The move would involve "enhancing" a few community hospitals, while closing inpatient beds elsewhere, and increasing services to care for people in their own homes. It was drafted jointly by clinicians from primary care trusts, hospitals, and social services as part of an "improved, affordable and sustainable model" of care for older people. Dr Stephen Richards, chairman of South East and South West Oxfordshire Primary Care Trusts' professional executive committee, said: "There are too many delayed discharges in the system and we're trying to reduce them by looking at a model that offers the right care in the right place at the right time.

"We want to do that with better access for patients to specialist clinicians and a smoother run through the system, quite a lot of which would be in the community and in patients' own homes."

Dr Richards, a GP at Goring and Woodcote Surgery, said plans to improve a couple of the community hospitals with better services would actually lead to better care.

"Patients will be able to leave the central community hospital earlier, before going somewhere closer to their own home about three weeks quicker than at the moment."

Bosses will now hold further meetings before consultation starts in the spring.

Proposals

Witney

Now: 61 beds, day services, out-of-hours service and minor injuries unit, outpatient dept, base for home nursing.

Proposed: 60 beds, day services, out-of-hours service and minor injuries unit, outpatient dept, base for home nursing team.

Abingdon

Now: 42 beds, day services, out-of-hours service and minor injuries unit, outpatient dept.

Proposed: No beds, base for home nursing team, day services, out-of-hours service and minor injuries unit, outpatient dept.

Wantage

Now: 18 beds, three maternity beds.

Proposed: No services.

Didcot

Now: 28 beds, physio unit.

Proposed: No beds, 10-12 maternity beds, physio unit.

Wallingford

Now: 26 beds, day services, outpatient dept, minor injuries unit, five maternity beds.

Proposed: 60 beds, base for nursing home team, day services.

Henley

Now: 16 beds, out-of-hours service and minor injuries unit, outpatient dept, 10-bed young disabled unit.

Proposed: No beds, out-of-hours service and minor injuries unit, outpatient dept.