Health managers faced a barrage of questions from campaigners fighting to keep their community hospital open.

The meeting in the packed main hall of Wantage Civic Hall was an attempt to explain plans which would dramatically change community health care in south Oxfordshire.

Project director Jackie Adams admitted she was taken aback by the strength of feeling against the plans.

The proposals drawn up by South West and South East Oxfordshire NHS Primary Care Trusts and Oxfordshire social services suggest the closure of at least two out of six community hospitals, including Wantage.

If the 24-bed hospital were to close it would be replaced with a community support unit, which managers claim would offer a better balance of care, with day care for elderly people and some out patient clinics.

Ms Adams, whose job is to explain the proposals to the public, tried to reassure the 300 people who attended Tuesday's meeting.

Many people who were not able to ask their questions or make their point during the hour-and-a-half-long session, because time ran out, queued up instead to speak to Ms Adams and her colleagues to ensure they had their say before leaving. Campaigners claimed care provided by the proposed community support units would not attract enough experienced staff, which would mean many elderly people could be left neglected.

The loss of support for new mothers was also highlighted by parents.

Ms Adams said it had been intended to have only three meetings on what is formally called the South Locality Plan.

She said: "This exercise started in December 2003. We intended to have just three informal pre-consultation meetings. Three meetings were not quite enough. Two months later, we are still having informal meetings."

She said the PCTs would take on board people's worries, which centred mainly on the problems of elderly people who could not travel far for treatment and did not have support at home.

Ms Adams told the meeting: "We want to hear your concerns and your ideas and then we will go away and do more work before we bring out a formal consultation paper.

"The meetings we are having now are very informal meetings, which will be completed by the end of the month."

She said no dates had yet been set for any more public meetings or formal public consultations.