text: A merger of the Royal Liverpool and Aintree University hospitals has been proposed in the draft Sustainability and Transformation Plan for Merseyside and Cheshire released on Wednesday.
  It aims to address a potential funding gap of £908m in the area by 2021.
  Councillor Andy Moorhead said Liverpool City Region "will not support" the plan, which was "completed in secrecy".
  Louise Shepherd, who is chief executive of Alder Hey Children's Hospital and led the work, said the hospitals have been "talking together for over three years about what they can do better together".
  The hospitals "said their intention would be to try and bring the two organisations together", Ms Shepherd said, but "what that actually means for services is still to be determined".
  The plan suggests merging the Royal, Aintree and Liverpool Women's Hospital into one new trust by April 2018 - but also "reconfiguring" the women's hospital by 2021.
  "New models of A&E", which could mean reduced opening hours, are also being considered at Southport and Ormskirk Trust, which runs Southport and Formby Hospital A&E - rated inadequate on Tuesday by the health watchdog.
  Mr Moorhead, in charge of health, wellbeing and social care for the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, said "any decisions by the NHS to reconfigure hospitals" should "be the subject of transparent and open debate" and "have the support of local communities and NHS staff... this has just not happened".
  Shadow health minister and Labour MP for Ellesmere Port and Neston Justin Madders said the process has been "completely lacking in transparency and accountability" and "mired in confusion".
  NHS England has split the country into 44 geographic areas - called "footprints" - each of which must soon produce a five-year sustainability and transformation plan.
  Merseyside and Cheshire is the second largest, incorporating Knowsley, Sefton, Liverpool, Halton, St Helens, Cheshire East, Cheshire West and Chester, Warrington, Wirral.
  Labour MP for Wallasey Angela Eagle said Wirral seems to be "particularly hard hit" and the plan "seems to be more about meeting the deficit than actually looking at what kind of health services we need".
  The report's publication marks the start of a consultation period during which people will be asked for their opinions.
target: Two Liverpool hospitals could merge under cost-cutting plans unveiled by health bosses.