CAMPAIGNERS travelled to Whitehall this afternoon to meet Health Secretary Andrew Lansley and raise concerns about the loss of several specialist services from Wycombe Hospital.

Members of the cross-party Save Our Hospital Services campaign group said they held a "positive" meeting with the Conservative minister.

Group chairman and Bucks Free Press editor Steve Cohen told Mr Lansley of the public's "anger, fear and disillusionment" over the closure of services at Wycombe Hospital since 2005.

The latest changes, recently agreed by the NHS Buckinghamshire & Oxfordshire Cluster, will see 67 inpatient beds moved to Stoke Mandeville.

SOHS asked Mr Lansley to send a health offical to Bucks to examine the controversial consultation process for the changes.

The group said the Health Secretary has agreed to instruct a senior member of the Strategic Health Authority - a regional NHS body - to meet with the group and look at the concerns in more detail.

See Friday's Bucks Free Press for a full report.

The imminent changes at a glance:

• Inpatient wards for diabetes, respiratory, gastroenterology and medicine for older people are transferred to Stoke Mandeville. Outpatients for these services still go to Wycombe Hospital, which gets a new day assessment unit and ‘step-down’ ward for elderly patients.

• The Emergency Medical Centre at Wycombe is downgraded to a Minor Injuries and Illnesses Unit. About 300 emergency medical patients per week taken by ambulance to Stoke Mandeville or Wexham Park hospitals instead.

• Wycombe keeps critical care and specialist services for stroke and heart attack patients. Its breast care service also becomes a specialist unit.

• Complex vascular surgery moves to Oxford, affecting about 250 patients per year, except carotid surgery [to prevent strokes] which stays in Wycombe.

• Wycombe Hospital will see about 7,600 fewer people per year - a reduction of about three per cent. The key drivers for change are both financial and clinical.