FEARS that Trowbridge Birthing Centre could be under threat are growing, after the Royal United Hospital Trust announced plans to redesign its maternity services.

The trust, which manages the birthing centre at Trowbridge Hospital, has announced a consultation period ‘to gather feedback on its services to make sure we are getting it right for women, both now and in the future’, sparking fears that this could mean the end of the Trowbridge centre.

It is holding just one consultation event in West Wiltshire, an hour-and-a-half session in Melksham on Tuesday, March 7.

On Tuesday a report was published by the King’s Fund, a think-tank working to improve healthcare, which urged the Government to close maternity units and A&E units across the country to reduce operating costs for the NHS.

Trowbridge councillor Graham Payne said: “In October I asked the CCG if they could guarantee that the maternity service would remain amid the reorganisation of health services in Trowbridge and the response was less than convincing.

“The RUH will play this down but, until we know what is planned for the primary care centre, it’s difficult to believe anything we hear.

“It’s now up to the community to voice their opinions to show how loved and valued this service is.

“Trowbridge’s valued birthing unit is most definitely under threat.”

Last year 3,827 babies were born in Bath, 291 in Trowbridge and 196 in Chippenham, with just 133 mothers opting for home births across the trust’s region.

Louise Oldall, 32, whose son Hector was born in Trowbridge last year, said: “I had a really pleasant experience giving birth in Trowbridge – it would be a shame to see it go. I hope mums rally round to keep it in the town.”

Retired midwife Sylvia Howard, 63, who worked at the unit from 1987-2015, said: “It will be a shame if mums have to travel to Bath to have their babies, it’s a concern.

“When I started working there it was completely different; it was the largest GP unit in the country with two wards and a big nursery.

“Over the years it changed dramatically. There were staff shortages at times but I enjoyed my time working there.”

This week Amanda Gell, the senior midwifery matron at the RUH, said: “It’s early days but we have a great opportunity to take a fresh look at what we are offering.

​“To help us in our planning for the future we want to understand what matters most to those who use our services.”

The 'friendly, informal discussion group' will take place at Melksham Assembly Hall on Tuesday, March 7 beteween 1 - 3.30pm