"OUR commitment is 100 per cent to building up surgery at Halton Hospital because we desperately need it."

These were the words of executive medical director Dr Phil Wake last week.

A consultant at bed-starved Warrington Hospital, he tried to reassure councillors about Halton Hospital's future at Halton Council's health, policy and performance board meeting last Tuesday.

"It's impossible for us to perform our jobs unless we have access to a hospital of that quality and with that ability to deliver," he added.

The meeting heard staff at Halton are nervous about recent changes.

Emergency admissions have moved to Warrington and the intensive care unit is still closed.

Hospital chiefs have decided to transfer more pre-planned surgery to Halton - but staff on some wards still sit idle.

Chief executive of North Cheshire Hospitals Trust, Ian Dalton, told councillors it's a myth that Halton Hospital is being undermined.

"That's clearly not the case," he said. "From my point of view, Halton Hospital has a massive future as the centre of planned surgery for the whole of north Cheshire.

"There's no hidden agenda here. I know some people are nervous and some people are cynical, but I'm very keen to build up Halton Hospital."

He said Halton still can and does treat heart attack and critically ill patients.

He added that when he joined the trust 15 months ago it had 'extreme financial issues' with a £7m debt - but this year the trust thinks it can get it down to £4m.