Plans to transform maternity services are an elaborate bid to “siphon off” midwives from rural areas to larger hospitals, a Councillor has claimed.

Liz Hardman, who represents Paulton on Bath & North East Somerset Council, said choices for women in rural areas would be limited by the move to plug an “endemic” midwife shortage at the Royal United Hospital.

Health bosses refuted this, and said there is no shortage of midwives, that they are not cutting funding for maternity services and that they are not proposing to reduce staff numbers or close any buildings. The proposals will affect Bath & North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire.

Speaking at B&NES Council’s Health and Well-being Select Committee last week, Councillor Hardman said: “This consultation is about reducing the choices facing women in our area.

“Maternity services will be concentrated in large district hospitals such as the RUH, Great Western Hospital in Swindon and Salisbury District Hospital.

“This means women won’t have a choice as to where to have their babies in the Paulton and Trowbridge areas. It will have to be at the RUH.”

Less than six per cent of women give birth across the four freestanding midwifery units in Chippenham, Trowbridge, Paulton and Frome.

Births will continue to happen in Chippenham and Frome and antenatal and postnatal clinics will continue to be provided in all four locations.

A proposal to save the birthing unit in Paulton, where there are five beds, attracted more than 3,500 signatures.

Cllr Hardman said the transformation, which would see postnatal care provided closer to women’s homes, would mean more expectant mums and midwives on the road, contributing to congestion and air pollution.

She added: “I’m afraid to say that the whole transformation maternity process looks to be an elaborate cover-up to conceal the endemic staff shortages in the RUH and to siphon off midwives from our community maternity units to our larger hospitals.

“Community birthing units at Paulton and Trowbridge, run effectively, are cheaper and more cost-effective than expensive hospital birthing suites. We need to consider the needs of our communities before making decisions on the outcomes of this consultation.”

Dr Ian Orpen replied: “No decision has been made. The purpose of the consultation is to hear feedback and adjust accordingly. There’s a clear rationale, based on national guidance.

“I would challenge the claim that there’s a plan for the RUH to cover a shortfall of midwives. That’s not our motivation.”

The RUH Trust and the Bath and North East Somerset Clinical Commissioning Group said in a joint statement: “We thank everyone who took part in our joint maternity services consultation – there were more than 1,800 survey responses and six hundred face-to-face discussions – and all views will be considered.

“We would like to reassure people that there is no shortage of midwives at the trust.

“We are not planning to reduce how much we spend on maternity services, nor are we proposing to reduce the amount of staff we have or to close any buildings.

Under the proposals, there will be two new “alongside” midwifery Units, one at Salisbury District Hospital and one at the Royal United Hospital, which the CCG said will provide more women with the opportunity to have a midwife-led birth.

The announcement of the consultation, which ran from 12th November until 24th February, said the results will be independently assessed before CCG leaders make a decision this spring.Full details of the proposals can be found at: www.transformingmaternity.org.uk

Stephen Sumner, LDR