THE focus group campaigning for the future of Malmesbury Hospital has voiced its fears over the facility's maternity unit.

The Malmesbury Community Health Care and Focus group, chaired by former Malmesbury mayor John Bowen, is worried about the lack of feedback about the unit, which has been under scrutiny by the Kennet and North Wiltshire Primary Care Trust.

The trust, which is £11 million in debt, has agreed proposals to build a flagship hospital in Malmesbury through a private finance initiative, selling off the current hospital site in the process.

However, the hospital's maternity unit, which only has around 100 births a year, could go from any new hospital, unless more mums can be persuaded to use the service.

The unit's recent shortlisting for an award by the National Childbirth Trust for the quality of its service is hoped to count in its favour when decisions about it staying open are made.

The trust has commissioned Hull University to issue a questionnaire about the choice of maternity units available to expectant mothers, but claims that it has not had any feedback from the scheme yet.

Mums-to-be in Wootton Bassett, Cricklade and Purton have also recieved a leaflet from Malmesbury Hospital's maternity unit, advertising its services, which was paid for by the hospital's League of Friends.

Mr Bowen told the Standard: "The future of the maternity unit, which is highly thought of locally, is causing the focus group concern.

"We have as yet had no indications from the trust as to the results of the Hull University research study into the viability of Malmesbury's maternity unit.

"We will continue lobbying the primary care trust, hopefully for a successful outcome."

The trust's director of community services, Phil Day, told the Standard: "We will be going back to the trust's board in July, when we will have the results of the survey.

"There are relatively few women using the Malmesbury service at the moment, but we have not made any decision."

Malmesbury Hospital senior midwife Jane Brookes said: "We're getting a bit impatient- we just want to know what is happening.

"The more people send in letters of support about the maternity unit, the better."

A final decision about the maternity unit and x-ray department will be made at the board's meeting in September.