THE Clinical Commissioning Group guaranteed the future of 'proper maternity services' in Trowbridge last night (Tuesday).

Speaking at a meeting organised by councillor Graham Payne in the wake of growing fears over the future of the birthing centre, the Clinical Commissioning Group’s communications manager Sarah MacLennan said there is ‘absolutely no way the CCG would not commission proper maternity services in Trowbridge’.

However, when Cllr Payne asked for assurance on the birthing centre’s future, Rhiannon Hills from the Royal United Hospital (RUH), said she ‘can’t make any sweeping statements’.

Amanda Gell, senior midwifery matron at the RUH, delivered a presentation at the meeting, held in the Atrium of County Hall, in which she highlighted that more people are choosing to give birth at Bath rather than at Trowbridge and Chippenham, and the trust wants to find out why.

Speaking after the meeting, Cllr Steve Oldrieve said: “I still don’t quite know where we're at with it.

“I don’t feel that we got the absolute assurance that there will be a birthing unit in Trowbridge a few years down the line.

“With the rapid population growth in the town, we need to improve services – not just maintain them, but we’re not in a position where we feel assured that will be the case.”

Two days after the RUH Trust announced plans to redesign its services on February 20, the King’s Fund, a think-tank working to improve healthcare, released a report urging the Government to close maternity units and A&E units across the country to reduce operating costs for the NHS, prompting fears that the Trowbridge unit is under threat.

However Leanne Whitcroft, who is due to give birth in Trowbridge in June, left the meeting with a positive outlook.

The 35-year-old said: “We came along to see whether it was going to close or not and I don’t think they want to close it, I just think they want people’s opinion.

“There are less births in Trowbridge so I think they need to make people aware that they can give birth in Trowbridge and try and persuade more people to do so as the service does need to be used.”