HEALTH bosses have proposed mothers no longer give birth at Devizes and Malmesbury Maternity Units. As the Gazette revealed weeks ago Devizes would, if the plans are accepted, only operate as a daytime ante natal clinic.

The long awaited recommendations by the Kennet and North Wiltshire Primary Care Trust were released yesterday in a report and will be discussed at a board meeting on Tuesday.

Despite a huge public outcry in Devizes and Malmesbury which included petitions signed by more than 10,000 people who were against closing both units, the trust says both units should close because they are too expensive to run.

Both units have five beds and the trust's director of community services, Phil Day and Dr Simon Burrell, a member of the trust board, says in the report that births and post natal support should be transferred from Devizes to Trowbridge Maternity Unit and from Malmesbury to Chippenham Maternity Unit.

Mr Day said: "Clinical quality is not in question, though from an operational perspective small units like Malmesbury and Devizes have less chance to improve occupancy and efficiency. Last year the average bed occupancy in Malmesbury and Devizes was 35 per cent. The birth rate, projected to 2011, is not expected to rise significantly."

Mr Day says in his report: "The Professional Executive Committee sub group feel Malmesbury is no longer viable as a birthing and postnatal in-patient unit and this service should transfer to Chippenham.

"Trowbridge is more likely to emerge as the preferred single unit rather than Devizes, since it is the largest community unit with 400 deliveries a month.

"If Devizes was to be the single site, Trowbridge women might prefer to deliver in Bath, with the real risk of compromising capacity in the acute unit, rather than travel to Devizes.

"Under the proposal women from the Devizes area should be given the option of delivery in Chippenham or Trowbridge."

Mr Day and Dr Burrell propose that day time pregnancy assessment and post natal support services be set up in Devizes and Chippenham.

The report says the details of public consultation needs to be agreed with the county council's overview and scrutiny committee but is likely to run from January to March 2004 with any changes coming into force in April 2004.

Mayor Paula Winchcombe, chairman of health campaign group DASH2, said: "This is very, very short-sighted. Transport is going to be a huge problem. Devizes is the best place for a birthing unit, especially if maternity services are included in the plan for the new hospital at Green Lane.

Eleanor Christmas of the Marlborough branch of the National Childbirth Trust, said: "This means that more women will have to give birth in Great Western Hospital because the journey from Ramsbury to Trowbridge in labour would be impossible.

"This is not good targeting of resources. Only women who need the specialist equipment available at the district general hospital should be sent there. It is really sad that the primary care trust think this is what people want."