The closure of hospital ward rehabilitation beds is set to be recommended in a meeting this week, despite concerns over patient care.

Board papers for Redbridge Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) meeting on Thursday show the Heronwood and Galleon wards at Wanstead Hospital, in Makepeace Road, will be recommended for closure, with beds set to be moved to King George Hospital in Goodmayes.

The CCG will reduce the number of rehabilitation beds in Redbridge, Havering, and Barking and Dagenham from 104 to between 40 and 61.

It has maintained that better care will be available through a new community treatment team, which will care for patients at home between the hours of 8am and 10pm, seven days a week.

The CCG says 438 responses were received to a public consultation on the proposal and 63 per cent responded positively to the proposal.

However, just taking the Redbridge responses, more people were opposed to the reducing the number of community rehabilitation units (48 per cent) than the 36 per cent who supported it.

A petition with more than 2,000 signatures was handed in last month to Redbridge council against the closure of the units.

Councillors and residents have spoken of their worry at the effect the proposals will have for people living in the area, with elderly people having to travel to Goodmayes.

Charity Healthwatch also criticised the consultation with the public as poorly advertised and misleading, though the CCG rejected these claims.

The meeting will take place at 1pm on Thursday at Becketts House, in Roden Street, Ilford.