MP Evan Harris will take Oxfordshire's campaign to keep community hospitals to the House of Commons tomorrow.

The Oxford West and Abingdon MP is due to urge health minister Stephen Ladyman to increase community hospital bed places, reversing NHS managers' plans to close up to four of the six county sites - Witney, Abingdon, Didcot, Wantage, Wallingford and Henley.

South West and South East Oxfordshire Primary Care Trusts want to reduce the number of beds and introduce more home care.

But Dr Harris will ask Mr Ladyman why the PCTs are so short of money and nursing staff that they are having to consider the cuts.

He will also inquire why the proposals are being discussed at a time when major hospitals, like Oxford's John Radcliffe, are unable to admit new patients because beds are blocked by people waiting to be transferred to the community units.

He said: "It was wrong for the future of individual community hospitals to be threatened until the local health economy performed a proper analysis of the bed numbers needed.

"It is not satisfactory for the PCTs to argue that they will replace community hospitals with home care until they demonstrate that they can recruit sufficient staff to provide a safe and high-quality service."

During the backbench adjournment debate on Friday, Dr Harris will seek assurances from the minster that a review of the demand for community hospital beds is carried out.

There are also concerns about the possible closure of Chipping Norton Hospital, replacing it with a private care home, and threats to OxComm, Oxford's community hospital at the Churchill Hospital in Headington.

Health union Unison is planning a march in Oxford on Saturday, May 3, to protest against the closure plans and to hand a petition to county councillors.