Volunteers were told their groups were no longer a priority and that many of their normal swimming time slots were not available.

Volunteer numbers will also be slashed under the changes.

Furthermore, group supervisors are now required to have vaccinations, take online exams and complete training courses if they want to continue using the pool.

The hospital hydrotherapy pool unexpectedly closed almost six months ago and the health department has dodged questions about its status ever since.

Former councillor Jenny Bailey, who has used the pool for more than 20 years, said this was the first time HNEH had contacted them since the closure.

“We are extremely saddened by their actions,” she said.

“What they’re saying is that if we don’t have these qualifications, we can’t volunteer … it’s just rubbish really.

“Basically, the situation that has been available to us since day one is no longer available to anyone.”

A Fairfax Media journalist was barred from attending the Friday meeting, but sources claim staff said that even when the pool did reopen - if something failed again, they probably wouldn’t fix it.

HNEH’s Northern Tablelands general manager Wendy Mulligan said she knew nothing of the meeting when Fairfax Media contacted her on Thursday.

But later released a statement saying hospital staff were working hard to ensure the pool was safe and could open as quickly as possible.

“Hydrotherapy pool volunteers have been invited to a meeting at Armidale Hospital … to ensure they have all the information they need to meet the mandatory requirements and training,” she said.

Volunteers are now mulling a possible campaign to have a new hydrotherapy pool built away from the hospital grounds for the whole community to use.

HNEH are yet to give a reopening date.

But Northern Tablelands MP Adam Marshall said he expected to pool to be open again in four weeks.