See our plans for town, says NHS

And local people have been assured that the town’s Feilding Palmer Hospital will not close before public consultation.

Carmel O’Brien, deputy managing director for East Leicestershire and Rutland Clinical Commissioning Group, confirmed the big re-organisation of healthcare in Leicestershire would look at the “viability” of the Lutterworth hospital.

But he stressed: “Our plans are just that at this stage. All of the proposals which involve big changes will be subject to a formal public consultation. No decisions will be made until this has happened.”

NHS East Leicestershire and Rutland Clinical Commissioning Group and Healthwatch Leicestershire will be inviting people to find out more about plans for healthcare in Lutterworth at the two town events.

Both are at the Wycliffe Rooms, George Street, Lutterworth - on Monday, January 9 from 12pm to 3pm and on Tuesday, January 24 from 6pm to 8.30pm.

Rick Moore, chair of Healthwatch Leicestershire, said: “We want to make sure patients can get their views heard before options are developed and decisions made.”

A county NHS plan published last month proposed the closure of the Feilding Palmer hospital. It also proposed “significant investment into community-based outpatient and diagnostic capacity” in Lutterworth, to cater for the town’s growing population.

New premises could be developed at the Feilding Palmer site, but not necessarily in the existing hospital building.