ANGRY Devizes people say the plans unveiled by the Kennet and North Wiltshire Primary Care Trust will not result in a new hospital for the town.

The trust's long awaited proposals for future health services will see Savernake Hospital, Marlborough, and Chippenham Hospital having the bulk of services while Devizes and Malmesbury will have nursing homes with NHS beds plus outpatient services including physiotherapy and dental X-ray.

The trust proposes to sell off the Devizes Hospital site in Commercial Road and the Devizes Family Health Centre site in New Park Street and build a new health facility on land in Green Lane.

The trust is inviting the three GP surgeries in the town to move to the site.

Services which could be lost are the 24-hour minor injuries unit and X-ray.

If the proposals are agreed, up to 18 beds at Devizes Hospital will close from October.

Up to 16 specialist rehabilitation beds could be provided in an NHS wing of a nursing home on the Green Lane site from 2005.

However the provision of the 16 beds in Devizes has not yet been agreed and if a nursing home provider is not found they could be allocated at Savernake or Chippenham hospitals.

The trust also plans to treat more people, who are not ill enough to be in a hospital, in their homes or in care homes.

People needing treatment for minor injuries would be treated by nurse practitioners at GP surgeries, while out of hours they would have to go to Savernake or Chippenham hospitals.

At a stormy public meeting on Tuesday night in the Corn Exchange, Devizes, the trust chief executive Barbara Smith and Corsham GP Simon Burrell, who serves on the trust's professional executive committee, were repeatedly barracked by the audience.

Town, district and county councillor Margaret Taylor said: "No-one from the trust has mentioned the word hospital. We are being lulled into a false sense of security. Where is the money raised from selling the hospital site and clinic site actually going?"

Town and district councillor Paula Winchcombe said: "From what I have heard it will be a glorified clinic. People want a hospital. They have been promised a hospital for years."

Proposals on maternity services will be published in July.

Tuesday's meeting was organised by the town council. Two more public meetings are being held tomorrow by the trust, at the Corn Exchange, Devizes. These are at 9.30am and 7pm.

The trust will be making decisions on its proposals at a meeting on May 22.