Campaigners fighting to save Wantage Hospital are offering a team of volunteers to help NHS managers recruit more nurses.

The offer comes in an open letter to the South West Primary Care Trust which has considered closing the 24-bed hospital because of staff shortages.

A confidential document, dated July 12, and leaked to Wantage deputy town mayor, Andrew Crawford, said the lack of staff left the hospital unsafe.

The trust's chief executive Mary Wicks admitted staffing remained an issue but said it was committed to recruiting new nurses for Wantage.

Jenny Hannaby, chairman of Wantage Town Council's hospital committee formed to campaign to keep the community beds, urged everyone to get behind the recruitment drive.

The open letter signed by Mrs Hannaby, Andrew Crawford, deputy chairman of the hospital committee; Colin Wilkins, chairman of the Wantage Hospital League of Friends and Terry Cox, president of Wantage Rotary, urges the PCT to think afresh about Wantage Hospital and work with them to keep it open.

It adds: "We are aware that managers of South West Oxfordshire Primary Care Trust have been planning for some time now to change the use of the Wantage Hospital site, and regrettably that planning process must in itself make a positive recruitment by front-line managers extremely difficult.

"We do appreciate that there are genuine staffing issues across Oxfordshire hospitals but also know there is no reason why Wantage should not be as effective as any other town in attracting nurses to work here.

"Since your statement that there is no current threat to Wantage Hospital we are writing to remind you of what key organisations and stakeholders are ready to do to get behind a positive campaign for our local hospital.

"We know the success of your recruitment day planned for September will depend on publicity and we can offer a team of volunteers to help your communications team advertise effectively across Oxfordshire during September.

"The PCT and the town can make the hospital flourish -- please work with us to do this."

Jackie Adams, acting director of clinical services and quality for the South West and South East Primary Care Trusts, said they were happy to take up the offer of help with the planned recruitment drive.

She said: "I will be contacting Jenny Hannaby as soon as I can to discuss how we can use their help."