MALTON maternity unit is closed for deliveries, sparking fears that health chiefs have already shut the popular wing by the back door.

On Monday evening officials gathered to discuss the future of local maternity services prompting a member of the public to reveal that there have been no deliveries at the unit or home births in Ryedale since last week.

Members of the North Yorkshire County Council's Scrutiny of Health Committee, investigating Scarborough NHS Trust's proposals to axe all births at Malton Hospital, were outraged that this had not been made public.

Chief executive of the Scarborough and North East Yorkshire NHS Healthcare Trust, IainMcInnes, insisted that the axing of all births atMalton hospital was only temporary due to 'staff problems', but this has done nothing to quell the anger that the consultation exercise is in fact a 'fait accompli'.

The committee chairman, Coun John Blackie, said the revelation undermined the credibility of the NHS Ttrust and it should start listening to the public, which wants the unit to stay open.

He said: "I am shocked that this has not been brought to our attention before and it only serves to confirm that this is an empty consultation exercise. Themessage being sent out is that Malton is already shut and the only choice for women in the future is either Scarborough or Scarborough."

This comes towards the end of a consultation period with the public, health professionals and local officials over the future of maternity services in the local area. In a document put forward byhealth bosses, they lay down three options for Malton maternity unit - increase services at the hospital by employing an obstetrician so more complicated births can be catered for, stopping all deliveries at the unit or keeping the remaining facilities as they are.

After close questioning by committee members onMonday, MrMcInnes admitted that there is only one option for the Trust - stopping all deliveries and transporting mothers to either Scarborough or York. This, he said, is purely in the interests of safety of mothers and their newborns.

He said: "We will probably discontinue 'home-from-home' births within the Trust, which is in common with other community hospitals across the country. I have to say it is not likely to get an obstetrician to work at Malton hospital - it is asking the impossible.

"In the interests of safety for women we propose that they should be in a consultant-led unit, like Scarborough, where if anything happens they do not need to be transferred."

Driving home the safety point was Scarborough consultant Mr Mark Noble. Speaking at the meeting, attended by 70 members of the public, he said: "Babies have died and continue to die and are dying at a rate that is unacceptable to us.

"We have an opportunity in Scarborough to cater for 'home-fromhome' births for women where it is considerably safer. If anything goes wrong in a midwife-led unit in Scarborough things will be dealt with quickly."

Since the start of the public consultation exercise, NHS Trust officials have insisted that although the Trust is in debt to the tune of £7.2 million, these proposals are not money saving measures. Despite months of denying these figures cannot be worked out, Mr McInnes revealed that by axing births at Malton, Bridlington and Whitby community hospitals would save the trust £400,000 a year.

Coun Blackie added: "With that amount of debt you cannot convince me that this has got nothing to do with costs, especially when you look at these kind of savings."

Also speaking out at the meeting was Jennifer Kay from the Malton maternity unit's 'meet-a-mum group'.

She said women were angry that their local trust was taking away choice for mothers, something that went against the grain of national guidelines.

She said: "As amum, it seems you are persuading us to go to baby factories, which is taking away choice for mothers. Government advisers say we should have the choice on where we want to have our babies.

"When I attended a meeting on January 17 you said that financial savings were not an issue, now you are saying it is. You cannot back up your safety reasons with anymeaningful statistics so we are at a loss as to know why you would want to close down such an important service in one of the biggest geographical areas of the country."

The consultation will draw to a close on Friday and NHS Trust officials will announce their decision following a crunch board meeting at the beginning of April.

Members of the health scrutiny committee have vowed to use their considerable powers to refer the matter to the Secretary of State for Health if NHS Trust bosses refuse to follow their recommendation to choose to keep maternity services as they are. Then the decision will rest with Patricia Hewitt.

Speaking after the meeting, Coun Blackie said: "People have voted with their feet and they have shown that what they want is local health services for the benefit of the local community.

"I think this is a vindication for people power and if the trust wants to show that this has been a credible consultation exercise they have got to listen to what people want. They support their local services and midwives and don't want any change to what is an excellent maternity unit."