DASH2 would like to take this opportunity to bring to the Kennet and North Wiltshire Primary Care Trust's attention the following points as they consider their decision on the future of Devizes Maternity Unit.

1. How can the PCT make any decisions while they are coping with the effects of the £1.47 million overspend? How can they decide while in the limbo of no permanent CEO, and the upheaval of the current administrative changes? Under the present situation, nothing should be decided.

2. The increasing birth rate at Devizes maternity unit indicates that costs can be lowered while retaining a local service. Richard Hallett's report gives clear evidence of the attainability of a 'win-win' financial situation.

3. Dr. Suzanne Tyler's report was commissioned by the Kennet and North Wiltshire Health Overview and Scrutiny Panel, and is their formal response to the proposals. The attention of the board should be drawn to the conclusions of the report.

4. Government guidelines on intervention and breastfeeding will be breached if closure proceeds. Devizes maternity unit has low rates of intervention and high rates of breastfeeding. There is much evidence to indicate that these rates will change for the worse if closure proceeds.

5. Devizes and Community Area GPs support the retention of the unit in Devizes at the Green Lane site.

6. While financial probity is important, the criteria on which to base this decision should not be saving money, but providing service. The savings represented by closure are not proven by any evidence produced by the PCT, and those that are claimed, appear insignificant when compared to the overall debt.

7. Transport is key to this decision. The figures speak for themselves: 25 per cent of Devizes population do not have access to private transport. Given that the PCT has no means of controlling the provision of public transport, they should not introduce any measure which will require greater usage of it.

8. The prime minister stated on GMTV on June 7, that, because of the increase of national insurance contributions, improvements had been made to the health service at local levels. How can this be justified?

This proposal represents a downgrading in health services for a rural area which is transport-poor. It is not good enough to say that other local areas don't have the same services: this is no excuse for removing them. DASH2 urges you to retain the maternity unit, giving it an 18-month period of PCT promotion to increase usage and decrease costs.

Margaret Taylor

Mayor of Devizes and chairwoman of DASH2