HOPES are high that the Gazette & Herald-led campaign to save Malton Hospital's maternity unit could end in success in the next few weeks.

County Coun John Blackie, chairman of the influential North Yorkshire County Council health scrutiny committee, who has been a keen supporter of the fight, said this week that he was hopeful that the maternity units at Malton, Whitby and Bridlington hospitals would be retained when a final decision is made on their future in June by the area NHS Trust.

He said that already the units were being utilised after temporary closures due to staffing difficulties at Scarborough General Hospital.

''There has been huge public and media concern. The proposal to close the units has been exposed as a sham.

''It was nothing less than trying to save money at the expense of mothers-to-be living in remote areas and facing long journeys to hospitals at either Scarborough, York or Middlesbrough, if they were not able to have their babies at home."

Coun Blackie labelled the public pressure as "tremendous", adding that he believed it would result in a rethink by the Trust board.

In the meantime, the Government had issued an edict which said that mothers should have a choice where they have their babies - at maternity units such as Malton Hospital's or at home.

"We had three excellent public meetings about the closure threats at Malton, Whitby and Bridlington and the message which came out of each of them was unanimous - that the units should be retained.

''The closure plan has already been put on the back-burner and I believe that it should be abandoned altogether, especially in view of the Government report."

Chris Coombs, secretary of the NHS Trust board for Scarborough and North East Yorkshire, said: ''We have to take into account the Government proposals and the results of the consultation which was undertaken."

Last December the NHS Trust published a 23-page consultation report on the future of maternity services in the Ryedale, Scarborough, Whitby and Bridlington area, and said it wanted to provide a maternity service which was ''high quality and safe'' and invited public reaction.

It resulted in several petitions including one as part of the Gazette & Herald's Birth Right campaign signed by 2,000 members of the public.

There were also objections from town and parish councils throughout Ryedale.

The plan said that working with the Primary Care Trust covering Ryedale, it aimed to ''provide as much care as possible closer to people's homes and ensure high quality, safe maternity services. We want you to have the right care, in the right place, at the right time''.

  • Anne Mackintosh, the MP for the Vale of York, and the Prospective Parliamentary Conservative Candidate for the new Thirsk and Malton constituency, had a meeting with maternity staff at Malton Hospital last week.

It was described by NHS staff as "informal and private".