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

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

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.

Despite the concerns, raised at the meeting, Leanne Whitcroft, who is due to give birth in June, left it with a positive outlook.

The 35-year-old said: “We came along to see whether the centres are 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 and Chippenham so I think they need to make people aware that they can give birth there and try and persuade more people to do so as the services do need to be used.”

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 Chippenham unit is under threat.

Chippenham councillor Peter Hutton said he did not want to make a comment on it as it is in the early stages.