DISTRAUGHT campaigners are searching for a way forward today after their hopes of saving a Suffolk hospital through a court battle were dashed.Supporters of Bartlet Care, which wants to take over the running of Felixstowe's Bartlet Hospital from Suffolk Primary Care Trust (PCT), were extremely disappointed when the High Court refused to grant a judicial review of the decision to close it as the application was made too late.

DISTRAUGHT campaigners are searching for a way forward today after their hopes of saving a Suffolk hospital through a court battle were dashed.

Supporters of Bartlet Care, which wants to take over the running of Felixstowe's Bartlet Hospital from Suffolk Primary Care Trust (PCT), were extremely disappointed when the High Court refused to grant a judicial review of the decision to close it as the application was made too late.

Barry Farr, vice-chairman of Bartlet Care, said: “We could appeal but it costs a lot of money to do and we've been ordered by the court to pay the costs of the PCT.

“In total we've spent more than £8,000 and we haven't been able to raise that amount of money so it would be silly to go through an appeal.”

However Mr Farr said the group had not given up on saving the Bartlet, which is currently serving as Felixstowe General Hospital while that hospital is being refurbished.

He said once Bartlet Care held its next meeting on Wednesday its plan of action would be determined.

He added: “The court door has been shut but we will be looking for other avenues from which to try to make the PCT see sense.

“We're not just going to walk away from this.”

n Do you think the Bartlet should be saved? Write to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich IP4 1AN or e-mail eveningstarletters@eveningstar.co.uk.