NEW Forest hospitals are safe in our hands.

That is the message from Hampshire Primary Care Trust following the news the government has dropped a pledge to build or refurbish at least 50 community hospitals.

A year ago Labour said it was going to inject £750 million into improving community hospitals.

But now, in a written parliamentary answer, health minister Andy Burnham said there was "no target for the number of community hospitals we intend to fund".

The Daily Telegraph listed 106 hospitals throughout the UK which it said were closed, under threat of closure/loss of service or under review.

It said the Fenwick at Lyndhurst was closed, and Fordingbridge and Milford were under review.

But a Hampshire PCT spokesman rejected the claims, saying: "Hampshire PCT remains committed to our community hospitals and we have no plans to close them.

"Development of the hospitals is not dependent upon the £750 million funding available from the government, although we have already been successful in securing £6.1 million for Gosport War Memorial Hospital and anticipate making further bids as future plans for community hospitals take shape."

The Fenwick Hospital at Lyndhurst had been closed for some time but, after a campaign to keep open beds at all the Forest hospitals, it has recently been given a make-over and opened its doors again.

From last October diabetes clinics for sufferers from across the New Forest began there.

The clinics are seen as the beginning of plans for the potential development of the hospital as a base for services to support people with long term conditions, the PCT said at the time.

Now a partnership between the league of friends and Southampton Care Association is developing a plan to provide end-of-life care there.

Outpatient clinics continue to be held at Milford War Memorial Hospital, which has also retained nine stroke care beds and the community rehabilitation team base.

Meanwhile local GPs are preparing a case for future development of services at Milford, which could include clinics for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, chronic heart failure and dental and chiropody services.

In December, the PCT's medical director Peter Hockey said: "We remain committed to developing Fordingbridge as a nurse-led centre."

A total of 37 staff there have completed the training programme, he said.