TWO weeks ago the Gazette and Herald revealed that both Devizes and Malmesbury were set to lose their community hospitals.

We we would have loved to have been wrong. For in this instance not to have got it right would have been a victory for the two towns.

But, unfortunately, when Kennet and North Wiltshire Primary Care Trust published its document for consultation it was clear that neither community will continue to have a hospital in the way most people understand the word.

But some of the trust's intentions are still blurred. When the draft proposal was put out on Friday Devizes was to have no in-patient beds.

By Monday when an updated document was produced it had somehow included the fact that Devizes might keep 16 specialist rehabilitation beds.

No one was saying how these beds became part of the plan over the weekend but more importantly there was no guarantee they would actually be included in Devizes.

It seems they were put there as a sop with the suggestion they could be included in the new health building that is planned for Green Lane or they could instead move to Chippenham or Savernake at Marlborough.

Whatever happens Devizes and Malmesbury will retain some health provision. Both towns are likely to have new nursing homes and GPs will be encouraged to move to new health centres.

But services such as minor injuries will largely disappear and people will face a long journey for X-rays.

The decision on maternity has been postponed until the summer. The cynical might say this was done so the heat can go out of the argument.

Hundreds of people took to the streets of Devizes only a few weeks ago and these mums are not going to suddenly forget the cause.

They are determined to continue to get their voices heard. And if the 200 or more people who turned out at a public meeting in Devizes are anything to go by the whole argument is far from over.