Walsall Manor now bidding to take on Cannock Chase Hospital

Millions of pounds would be spent on upgrading the hospital under the plans and both Walsall and Cannock sites would continue to be run separately.

This is in contrast to the rival proposals from Wolverhampton, where patients would be shuttled between the two facilities.

Walsall health bosses say that by investing money at the Cannock site they will make it more attractive for Staffordshire residents to go there.

Currently the hospital is 40 per cent under-occupied and there has been a 30 per cent rise in attendances at Manor Hospital from patients in Staffordshire.

Day case surgery, outpatient and diagnostics along with elective orthopaedics would all continue to be run at Cannock Chase Hospital under the latest proposals.

Just a couple of weeks ago bosses at New Cross Hospital in Wolverhampton revealed they also wanted to run services in Cannock.

Their bid would see thousands of patients from the city face being shuttled 10 miles across to Cannock on free buses for non-emergency surgery, as it essentially becomes a sister hospital to New Cross.

However Walsall Hospitals NHS Trust chief executive Richard Kirby said they would not be moving services.

"We are not planning on moving services out of Walsall," he said, adding: "We would own and run services within Cannock Hospital and run in the same way we run services from Walsall Manor.

"We think there is a good amount of work we can deliver for local people. We would hope to do more than what is there at the moment. They will get a wide range of locally provided health services. The hospital in Cannock would need some millions spent on it in terms of upgrading."

The plans have been drafted in the wake of the fall out of the Stafford Hospital scandal which has seen a £70 million downgrade of services at Cannock and Stafford hospitals recommended by a team appointed by health watchdog Monitor.

But it was announced last week that administrators, which have been appointed to decide the fate of the hospitals, had been granted extra time until July 31 to publish a draft plan for the future.

Cannock Chase Council leader George Adamson said he welcomed both bids and added: "We support both, what we want is for Cannock Chase Hospital to stay open and as part of the NHS."

Breaking the silence on hospital scandal - See today's Express & Star