THE proposals put forward by the Kennet and North Wiltshire Primary Care Trust are aimed at cutting millions of pounds.

The trust was formed in April 2002 but was handicapped from the start as it did not have enough money to pay for the services it was committed to provide.

The trust has been consulting on plans to cut £10million since the beginning of the year and its final proposals are contained in a 27-page document called Setting Out Our Strategic Direction.

This document will be discussed by the trust at a board meeting today in Devizes Town Hall, at 2pm.

While most campaigners believe the motivation for the changes to health services is to save money the trust insists that some changes are necessary to modernise health services.

Barbara Smith, the trust's chief executive, said: "This document is about establishing a modern and comprehensive service which meets local needs properly and invests increased resources wisely.

"It recognises the importance of community hospitals but, at the same time, ensures we are best placed to secure much needed improvements in other community services."

One of the key proposals is to spend £1.1million on expanding intermediate care.

This involves professionals such as district nurses and physiotherapists treating people in their own homes or in nursing homes by providing intensive rehabilitation for up to six weeks.

In the document the trust admits that the public have doubts about its plans.

It says: "Almost all stakeholders have concerns about the ability to recruit the number of staff that we need to deliver these services and some have queried whether these plans will deliver the amount of cash required to balance the PCT books and modernise the service we have described."

But it adds: "Many stakeholders have expressed their desire to continue to work jointly to implement these new models of care."

The trust is planning to base a diagnostic and day surgery centre at the new hospital site in Green Lane, Devizes, although it is still not guaranteed.

If it is located in Devizes it will take patients from a wider area than Kennet and North Wiltshire and the trust estimates it will receive up to £5million income from other health trusts sending patients there.

The trust is proposing to set up steering groups of local councillors and other interested people in Malmesbury and Devizes to take the proposals for new hospitals forward.