Brain injury rehab centre closes

1 April 2013 Last updated at 06:43 ET

A specialist rehabilitation centre in Bath for people with brain injuries has been closed.

The unit, at Bath's Royal National Hospital, shut on Sunday following a drop in demand for services.

Councillors are now urging the government to reverse the decision and have written to the Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt.

The hospital trust said the NHS would continue to treat the patients who need care elsewhere in the country.

Peter Miles, elected public governor for the hospital, criticised the closure and said it may not be too late for the government to step in.

Mr Miles said: "The local council was not informed of this decision until some time in January.

"They have a statutory right to be informed early on so they can consult, so they're quite upset about this and they've referred it to the Secretary of State."

The letter has been written by Bath and North East Somerset Council's wellbeing policy development and scrutiny panel.

The Royal National Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases NHS Foundation Trust has previously said in a statement that the number of local patients they cared for was "really quite small at around 20 people a year".

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Brain injury rehab centre closes