Hospital's sale was bad move

The deal which included all hospital land was made with a certain Declan Roche of Hartlands, Salop Road, Oswestry. Selling a "Cottage Hospital" together with the land for £575,000 in July 1993 ostensibly to be an old folks home.

Checking the dictionary description of a cottage hospital it reads as follows: "A cottage hospital is a small hospital serving a local rural population providing only basic medical facilities staffed by local doctors and part time specialists."

This description could never have applied to the Oswestry and District Hospital, for it was a modern five-ward hospital, two stories high, employing 32 nursing staff - all qualified with an ancillary staff of 12, consisting of cooks, porters, gardeners and cleaners.

I maintain that this hospital and land was sold by the NHS. It has now been sold and is a housing development. Oswestry is a developing town that needs its hospital replaced rather than a medical centre which we already have, but could easily be incorporated as a 30-40 bed hospital replacement.

Should we need accident or emergency treatment the Orthopaedic will refer you to Shrewsbury or Wrexham since they have no A&E available.

T Roberts, Oswestry