Street Parish Council has joined local calls for Somerset NHS Foundation Trust to pause plans affecting up to 20 inpatient beds at West Mendip Hospital in Glastonbury.

At an extraordinary meeting on 29 July, councillors voiced concerns over the absence of public consultation and the lack of a published business case. The proposed changes, part of wider plans for community hospitals across Somerset, are reportedly set to be finalised just two days before Somerset Council's Adults and Health Scrutiny Committee meets on 21 August.

The council supported calls for an emergency scrutiny meeting and agreed to write formally to the Trust requesting a pause and the release of full details for public and committee review.

"West Mendip Hospital was built to deliver modern, local NHS care for Glastonbury, Street, and the surrounding area," said Cllr Bryan Knickerbocker. "The prospect of seeing inpatient beds removed or repurposed without any public consultation or scrutiny is deeply troubling. Local people deserve better."

Opened in 2005 to replace Butleigh and Wells & District Hospitals, West Mendip was designed with 36 beds, a Minor Injuries Unit, and outpatient rehabilitation services.

Glastonbury and Somerton MP Sarah Dyke has also raised concerns. She said: "I am concerned by the proposed closure of 14 inpatient beds and the potential loss of staff roles… Many residents are growing increasingly wary of any further loss of vital healthcare service provision."

She acknowledged the Trust's plan to bring new outpatient services, such as chemotherapy and cardiology, closer to home but said there had been "little consultation" and that "key details remain unclear" about when these services would be operational.

Somerset NHS Foundation Trust says the proposals reflect a shift towards delivering more care at home and that funds and staff from reduced bed numbers would be redeployed to community services. The Trust said it was adjusting bed numbers "to better match the demand" while exploring how more services could be offered from community hospitals.

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