MORE than 200 people flocked to Chippenham Town Hall this morning to pledge their support to Chippenham Hospital.

Carers, politicians and local GPs attended the meeting, hosted by Chippenham Hospital Action Group, in a bid to stop the closure of 33 beds.

North Wiltshire MP James Gray said: "Wiltshire Primary Care Trust are doing away with our hospital cut by cut. Chippenham Hospital is being fatally undermined and the reason the PCT is doing this is because of money.

"The fact is a hospital cannot survive on ten beds."

Local GP Nick Brown said: "This winter we have had an unprecedented bed shortage in our hospitals. This has occurred because many other hospitals have closed in the area.

"Those 43 beds in Chippenham are being used 24 hours a day. These are the beds the PCT wishes to close."

The PCT, who did not attend the meeting, argue patients will be cared for at home by Neighbourhood Care Teams.

Dr Brown said many elderly patients currently in Chippenham Hospital were not suitable for such care.

Chippenham politicians from opposing parties have joined forces to help save the hospital.

Conservative Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones and Liberal Democrat Duncan Hames both attended the meeting.

Former worker at Chippenham Hospital Margaret Spackman, of Bristol Road, Chippenham, said: "I worked at the hospital for 27 years and have seen a lot of changes.

"When I first started there were more beds than there are now and Chippenham was smaller then.

"If this goes ahead the truth is a lot of people are going to die."

The action group proposed a motion for the PCT to suspend plans for the closure of the beds, which was unanimously supported.