EXCITING plans for a modern hospital in Devizes looked dead and buried this week when it was revealed the old building is set to be sold off and no replacement built.

Devizes is likely to be left with nothing more than a glorified nursing home and a health centre in plans outlined this week.

Two of the four community hospitals in Kennet and North Wiltshire would close leaving just two others to feed district hospitals in Bath and Swindon. Devizes would provide physiotherapy, occupational therapy and a day hospital for older people.

Kennet and North Wiltshire Primary Care Trust needs to save £10 million and it looks as if people in Devizes will have to travel to other towns for certain services, particularly outpatient clinics and treatment for minor injuries. In-patient beds are likely to go as health chiefs plan to provide 24 hour care to support people in their own homes.

Proposals will be drawn up by the trust for public consultation but it said this week it is looking to have one community hospital to support the Royal United Hospital in Bath and one to support the Great Western Hospital in Swindon. GPs believe these community hospitals will be Chippenham and Savernake in Marlborough for which plans are being progressed for a new £10million hospital paid for with private finance.

GPs are calling on local people to fight plans to close Devizes Hospital.

Dr Charles Cowen, chairman of the Devizes GP committee, speaking on behalf of all 17 local GPs said: "We are in danger of losing our hospital and our fear is that services will not be replaced or will be replaced in a different format."

Dr James Flood said in-patient beds and a minor injuries unit are needed in Devizes. He said: "Intermediate care which is when people receive care and rehabilitation after being in an acute hospital is not done in a nursing home. If in-patients beds are lost from Devizes Hospital where are patients going to go?

"If there is no minor injuries unit people will not travel to Chippenham or Savernake hospitals. Someone who suffers an asthma attack in the middle of the night would be forced to go to Chippenham Hospital and that increases the delay in getting treatment and increases risk to their health."

Barbara Smith, chief executive of the trust, would not confirm it will close Devizes and Malmesbury hospitals, but said: "I think there will be community facilities in all of our community areas. We have the potential with some of the assets we have, particularly in Devizes and Malmesbury, to do something quite radical."

Devizes Hospital's site in Commercial Road would be a prime site for housing developers. It is in the Kennet District Local Plan as a housing site, but with the requirement no housing is built there until a replacement community hospital is built.