A HEALTH chief has admitted his trust 'got it wrong' over plans to relocate district nurses from doctors' surgeries in rural area to a base in Nailsea. The plans caused an outcry from the public who turned out in force to register their dismay at a meetin

A HEALTH chief has admitted his trust 'got it wrong' over plans to relocate district nurses from doctors' surgeries in rural area to a base in Nailsea.The plans caused an outcry from the public who turned out in force to register their dismay at a meeting in Winscombe on November 30.At the meeting, Wrington parish councillor Richard Thorn, a member of the Wrington Vale Patient Practice Partnership, said if the proposal had been written by a first year student it would, in his opinion, have failed.The North Somerset Primary Care Trust (PCT) is aiming to improve healthcare services in rural areas and was planning a major reorganisation of district nurses throughout the area. Under the plans, there would be four new posts of community matrons and senior sisters would be cut from seven to four, with healthcare assistants filling in. The proposal which had been issued without any consultation with nurses, GPs or patients was set to be in place by April 2007.Chris Born, the PCT's chief executive, chaired the meeting. He had also attended a meeting of North Somerset Council's Health Overview and Scrutiny Panel the previous day. It turned the proposal down until it had heard directly from the doctors and nurses concerned and got answers to some serious questions posed by the public.The latest meeting was attended by 85 people, including GPs and district nurses from rural practices and parish councillors. They agreed the proposal affecting the rural areas was flawed and failed to take into consideration continuity of care, and basic communication issues. Mr Born said: "It certainly appears the PCT has got it wrong in this rural part of North Somerset and we will be revisiting the whole proposal". He recognised the need to form the forum that was promised in March of this year which would have ensured proper consultation before such a proposal is launched. He also gave a guarantee that questions will be answered and, in future, no proposals would be implemented without proper consultations.Public consultations will take place at Claverham Meeting House on Thursday at 6.30pm, Yatton Methodist Church at 10am on December 20 and at 6.30pm at the Folk Hall, Portishead, on December 21.