NHS bosses looking at the possibility of shutting down Malton Hospital maternity unit faced an angry crowd of people ready to fight for its survival.

Members of the Scarborough and North East Yorkshire Healthcare NHS Trust met yesterday to discuss modernising maternity care across Scarborough, Whitby, Bridlington and Ryedale.

One option being discussed was the possibility of shutting down all three maternity units and centralising services at Scarborough in a bid to provide better medical backup in case of emergency.

York mum-to-be Kate West said she thought it was scandalous that the NHS Trust seemed to be implying births at Malton were no longer safe.

She has chosen to have her baby - due this week - at Malton, instead of in York.

"After seeing two GPs, two midwives and York District Hospital staff, no one had even mentioned to me that Malton was an option," she said.

"Something is being held back somewhere, people are not being told.

"The community hospital units provide a choice which women have the right to use."

Malton woman Sheila Miller said: "I would say to any woman like Kate, come to Malton, its maternity unit especially is brilliant, as are all our community hospitals.

"There are so many people who would come if they just knew about it."

She added: "I think the choice should be there for patients to have four or five days in the hospital, not like at Scarborough where they are in and out like cattle.

"I would like to query whether Scarborough can cope?"

Mrs Miller said people would work hard to keep the unit going, but said they facing an uphill struggle.

"We always feel under threat at Malton, we feel that we are always fighting to keep services."

Chief executive Alison Guy told the packed meeting that the NHS Trust would plan to hold a series of open forums designed to consult the public as widely as possible.

Non-executive director Dale Meegan was appointed to head a maternity services strategy and modernisation board.

She said it was important the issue was kept in the public arena.

Board chairman Richard Grunwell added: "This Trust is determined that it is going to take public consultation on everything it does - this is just the start of the process.

"It's very important from our point of view that the public are part of this.

"We could have very easily put this behind closed doors and we are not going to do that."

Updated: 11:51 Wednesday, January 08, 2003