ONLY a baby boom can save a North-East maternity unit from closing.

This fact emerged as a formal three-month consultation period on the future of the unit, at Guisborough Primary Care Hospital, east Cleveland, came to an end yesterday.

A consultation report will be presented to a meeting of Langbaurgh Primary Care Trust (PCT) board later this month, when a final decision will be made.

But trust chief executive, Jon Chadwick, said: "We have looked at lots of ideas to increase usage, but we really need 300 to 500 babies to be born every year, and I can see no prospect of this happening.

"This is one of the most difficult decisions that the PCT has had to face.

"We are very sad that we have had to take a look at closure, but we have a duty to secure value for money for local people."

The trust announced an informal three-month programme of public discussions, on the closure proposal, centred around the low-usage of the unit, last June.

In September, the board decided to hold a three-month formal consultation - starting on December 1.

Both formal and informal meetings have taken place with the public, health professionals, mothers who have given birth at the unit, and mothers who were, and are, hoping to give birth there.

Questionnaires have been sent out and returned, and local MPs and councillors consulted.

The future of the unit will be decided at a meeting of the board at Langbaurgh House, Bow Street, Guisborough, on Thursday, March 23.

The meeting is open to the public and the agenda item about the maternity unit is expected to be discussed at 2pm.

A trust spokesman yesterday stressed that whatever the board decides, their decision will not affect any of the other services at Guisborough Primary Care Hospital or other primary care hospitals, covered by the trust.