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Maternity decision appeal is urged

From the Swindon Advertiser, first published Thursday 2nd Sep 2004.

COUNCILLORS are being recommended to appeal against Kennet and North Wiltshire Primary Care Trust's decision to close Devizes and Malmesbury maternity units.

Wiltshire County Council's health overview and scrutiny committee is meeting on Wednesday and is being recommended to refer the decision to the Secretary of State for Health.

A report to the committee by the Kennet and North Wiltshire health scrutiny panel states that the decision to close both midwife led units is not in the interests of the health service.

At a meeting in July the Primary Care Trust took the decision to close the units, despite massive public opposition including two petitions signed by almost 20,000 people.

The units are due to close on November 1 but if an appeal is made to the Secretary of State the closure is put on hold until the appeal is determined.

The trust said closing both units would save £318,000 although two thirds of the savings would not be made until 2006/7.

Campaigners called on the trust to give both units a trial period to try to boost the number of women using them but the trust did not consider this.

Under the trust's plans all that would be left in Devizes and Malmesbury would be antenatal clinics.

Women wanting to give birth or have post natal inpatient stays would have the option of using Chippenham or Trowbridge Maternity Units.

The report to the committee says: "Kennet and North Wiltshire scrutiny panel members do not feel that the closure of these two popular, award winning units represents either an improvement in the overall maternity service provided to the population of Kennet and North Wiltshire or the neighbouring PCT areas which have traditionally made use of these units."

Campaigners welcomed the report.

Devizes mayor Margaret Taylor, chairman of DASH2 (Devizes Action to Save Our Hospital), said: "I'm very pleased that a referral is proposed. Closing Devizes Maternity Unit would be detrimental and lead to the worsening of a service."

The county council health overview and scrutiny committee meeting is open to the public and is being held at County Hall, Trowbridge, on Wednesday September 8 at 2pm.

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