MENTAL health bosses have denied that Ramsbottom Cottage Hospital will close -- despite a leaked report to the Bury Times proposing it should shut.

The document details a planned shake-up of older people's mental health services in the borough, which could also see some patients travelling to Oldham for treatment.

The proposals have been drawn up as part of a "modernisation plan" by the Pennine Care NHS Trust, the body responsible for mental health services in Bury, Rochdale, Oldham, Stockport, Tameside and Glossop.

The report reads: "Bury: closure of Ramsbottom Cottage Hospital" and adds: "Oldham: to provide all acute in-patient care for Oldham, Rochdale and Bury."

The document added that transport costs for clients and carers would be incorporated into the plans.

Ramsbottom Cottage Hospital is an assessment unit for people over 65 years old with mental health needs.

But this week chief executive of the trust, Mr John Archer, said: "We would like to confirm that Ramsbottom Cottage Hospital will not be closing."

He admitted that work was being carried out on a "three-year strategy for the development and modernisation of services" for older people with mental health problems in Bury".

Mr Archer dismissed the information contained in the document as "wildly inaccurate and frightening to staff".

Proposals in the document are similar to those being planned for children's services in Bury in that the care trust is looking to develop community-based care "as near to the client's own home as is possible" funded through reinvestment of "more costly in-patient resources".

The document revealed that a community-based home intervention service set up in Oldham as part of "cost improvement plans" had proved to be "extremely successful" and had been successfully adopted in Tameside and Glossop.

Mr Archer told the Bury Times: "The document was merely an internal discussion paper, which has since been significantly revised. Any revised plans would be subject to ratification by primary care trusts and local authority partners."

He added: "Plans are being produced for longer-term development of mental health services in Bury. This will include making more efficient use of existing resources and further investment in services.

"We already have outline approval for a business case that will result in a multi-million pound development of in-patient services on the Bury site, and discussions are underway with Bury Council about pursuing major investment for older peoples' mental health services through various grants."

An overview of development plans for Bury's mental health services will be provided at an event to mark World Mental Health Day at the Bolholt Hotel in Bury on October 8.

Anyone wanting to attend should write to Alison Ibbottson, Programme Manager, Commissioning Services, Bury Primary Care Trust, 21 Silver Street, Bury, BL9 OEN.