Health bosses in talks over Whitchurch Hospital's former Beech Ward

Health bosses are in talks to bring new services to an empty north Shropshire hospital ward which controversially closed last month despite 5,000 people signing a petition opposing the move.

Beech Ward at Whitchurch Hospital was the last dedicated ward for elderly mentally ill patients in Shropshire until it shut last month.

Now it has emerged health chiefs are carrying out a needs assessment to identify which community health services could most benefit the town.

Councillor Rob Hewson, deputy mayor of Whitchurch, today said: "I think they would have been better off leaving things as they were for the psychiatric patients who used to be on the ward. But anything they want to do with the ward, as long as it benefits the town, is an excellent idea.

After the closure services moved elsewhere and health chiefs insisted care in the community for elderly mentally ill patients would be boosted.