Maternity fight moves to London

Campaigners fighting to keep two maternity units in Wiltshire open were delivering a petition of thousands of names to parliament on Monday.

Malmesbury and Devizes Community and Maternity Hospitals are threatened with closure following a review of health care in the region almost a year ago.

A Save Malmesbury Maternity Unit website has been set up to track the progress of the campaign.

A fresh round of consultations on plans for the service is due in April.

Following the health care review it was found only around one in three beds in Devizes and Malmesbury were being used.

The facilities were branded 'outdated' by health care managers at the Kennet and North Wiltshire Trust.

Better birth

But the campaigners disagree with this finding.

The new website claims the Malmsebury unit is an "award winning centre of excellence, used and valued as much for its antenatal and postnatal care and support, as for its birthing facilities".

The Trust also needs to sort out a £10m deficit that could leave it with little option but to shut the units.

The services looked at were provided by West Wiltshire Primary Care Trust (PCT) for people served by Bath & North East Somerset, Kennet and North Wilts, and Mendip PCTs.

Patients from bordering Cotswold and Vale and Swindon PCTs also use the services.

They are provided in the Royal United Hospital at Bath, and community hospitals in Chippenham, Devizes, Trowbridge, Malmesbury, Frome, Paulton and Shepton Mallet.

The consultation process is due to last until 26 April and the board plans to announce its decision on 25 May.

Before that there will be a public meeting at Malmesbury Town Hall at 1330 BST on Saturday 3 April.

The meeting will be chaired by James Gray MP who has also invited all directors of both the Primary Care Trust and Strategic Health Authority.

Julia Drown MP and Michael Ancram MP will attend and there will be opportunity for the public to make its views heard.