THE Kennet and North Wiltshire Primary Care Trust has denied claims that it did not consider all the responses received in its consultation on changes in health services.

The trust has been accused of rushing the consultation through since it began in April.

It was decided to close some beds at the existing hospitals in October this year at a trust meeting on May 22.

But what has alarmed health campaigners is that a document produced by the trust, called What People Have Said, only lists all the responses received up to April 15, but the consultation did not officially end until May 9.

DASH2, Devizes Action to Save Our Hospital, says it knows of people who wrote to the trust after April 15.

Members were also in Devizes town centre on April 26 and handed out 1,500 information leaflets to the public.

Chris Carver, a member of DASH2, said: "The trust's document is misleading and it backs up people's concerns that the decisions were pre-determined."

Mrs Carver wrote a letter to the trust on behalf of Friends of the Earth and said this was not listed in the trust's document as it was sent after April 15.

In a statement the trust said the document listing people's responses was produced to a tight deadline.

The statement adds: "Although responses received after April 15 were not recorded in the document, the director of planning, Elizabeth Jones, read all correspondence received up to the morning of the meeting, 13 days past the deadline of May 9, and comments from all correspondence received, by whatever means, was reflected in the working draft."

The statement said that the document would be updated detailing all the responses received.

l Devizes MP Michael Ancram met with members of DASH2 in Devizes last Friday.

He said: "We have a hospital which must be sustained until there is a new hospital to take its place. We must also ensure that we are not fobbed off with something less than a hospital by demanding that it includes genuine intermediate care beds, adequate minor injuries provision including X-ray facilities and the maternity unit."

Mr Ancram is to seek clarification from the trust on its definition of rehabilitation beds and minor injuries unit.