THE people of Melksham and Warminster have slammed the decision to axe overnight emergency services at the towns' hospitals.

West Wiltshire Primary Care Trust, which runs the hospitals, announced on Thursday that both minor injuries units would close between 9.30pm and 8am from December 1.

The PCT says the decision was taken because of reduced demand and difficulties recruiting staff. Patients who require out of hours treatment will have to travel to Trowbridge Community Hospital, which remains open.

The move comes after public consultations in autumn 2002 and July this year, which the PCT feels has been sufficient to make its decision. A PCT survey in 2002 revealed an average of only two or three patients used Melksham's overnight service every night.

The Melksham unit, which has been closed since January 2002 due to staff shortages, will not now reopen.

Friends of Melksham Hospital and Community secretary Alan Weymouth said: "Staffing is a serious problem. It has always been on the cards but at least the hospital is not closing altogether.

Melksham town councillors on Monday decided to send a letter to the PCT raising concerns over the impact of the unit's night-time closure. Former mayor Vic Oakman said health chiefs had gone back on their word: "They have been very economical with the truth right from the word go. When they told us they would close the unit temporarily they categorically stated it would not mean a permanent closure."

Cllr Sarah Cardy said: " I feel we have gone one step backwards."

The service at Warminster Hospital closed briefly in August 2002, but then reopened. The news that it will close overnight has come as a blow.

Warminster town councillor Chris March said: "We are very sad that this should happen, we don't want to see any curtailing of services."

Former town councillor Bob Adam was treated at the hospital as part of his recovery from a car crash this summer. He said: "It is very sad that we should lose that facility bearing in mind that we've got some of the best staff in Wiltshire working there. But if it's the only way that we are going to keep the rest of the hospital open that is how it's got to be."

West Wiltshire PCT director of services Hilary Fairfield said: "During the past 18 months when we have been reviewing the Melksham out-of-hours unit we realised the situation was going downhill in Warminster too. The demand on these overnight services is very low and when we have had the Melksham overnight unit shut there has not been a noticeable impact on other services."

THE FUTURE of Trowbridge maternity unit still hangs in the balance after the board of West Wiltshire Primary Care Trust said it was months, possibly years, away from a decision on whether to merge the unit with Devizes.

Worried mothers and midwives were at the Trust's annual meeting in Melksham on Thursday to hear the fate of the maternity unit debated by the board for the first time since a review of maternity services in Gloucester, Wiltshire and Somerset recommended merging the two units as a way to save NHS cash.

Other proposals include merging maternity units at Chippenham and Malmes- bury.

Trowbridge Town councillors last week agreed to send a letter supporting the hospital's maternity unit 100 per cent in time for Thursday's meeting

Cllr Gerry Burnham said: "Whatever we can do to fight it when the decision comes we must do."

Ann Nash, who headed the review of maternity services, suggested consolidating maternity units to increase the number of mothers using them.

Statistics from the review show Trowbridge maternity unit is 40 per cent full while merging the units would bring figures up to around 60 per cent.

The PCT board says change must be implemented as small maternity units are underused and are an inefficient way to spend their annual budget.

A consensus from the PCT boards involved could take months to achieve.

Maternity staff have made it clear they are keen to get a resolution soon as they have had enough of having their jobs reviewed.