Nursing staff staged a protest today following plans to switch their Oxford workplace — a move they claim will hit patient care.

Officials from the unions Unison and the Royal College of Nursing are in dispute with managers regarding the proposed move of about 40 intermediate care staff from East Oxford Health Centre to Raglan House in Cowley.

About 20 staff protested outside Jubilee House in John Smith Drive, Cowley, where Oxfordshire Primary Care Trust's (PCT) annual general meeting was held.

Mark Ladbrooke, Oxfordshire's Unison health representative, said the dispute would be referred to director level for another hearing within five days.

He said: "The issue is straightforward — intermediate care staff, employed by the NHS and county council to look after newly discharged hospital patients in their homes, are being moved from pillar to post.

"Currently, the intermediate care staff are based in a purpose-built centre — the East Oxford Health Centre.

"The employers are proposing a move a mile or two up Cowley Road to Raglan House — where many of the staff have come from in the first place."

One carer, who asked not to be named, said: "We only put up with Raglan House originally because it was a temporary accommodation while we waited for our new centre to be built.

"We had to access the main store area directly off a busy mini-roundabout — you took your life in your hands to pick up a walking frame for a patient.

"There were lots of problems for a team which was trying to reach out to patients in their homes."

Carers, some of whom earn as little as £13,000 a year, are also opposed to paying £600 a year in parking fees.

Jackie Adams, head of adult services at the PCT, said: "The move is part of a wider programme designed to improve services to patients and to increase service integration and effectiveness.

"The PCT have addressed all the concerns raised and effective measures have been put in place and discussions are still on-going."

Meanwhile, Oxfordshire Primary Care Trust was listed as one of the best performing in the country yesterday in a review of urgent and emergency care services in England.

Oxfordshire PCT was in the top 50 PCTs listed as "best performing". There were 152 PCTs reviewed.

The Government has introduced new services such as NHS Direct and NHS walk-in centres.

As a result, significant improvements have been achieved, the commission said.

A spokesman for the PCT said it was "excellent news" Oxfordshire was in the best performing category and said the rating "demonstrated the commitment of all staff working within these services, whose work provides an excellent standard of care to the people of Oxfordshire."