Currently, babies born prematurely or needing minor treatment are looked after at the Bury St Edmunds hospital.

But a review into intensive neonatal care could mean only newborns needing to gain weight would be treated in Bury, according to the Parent Support Group of the Special Care Baby Unit (SCBU).

More specialised treatment could take place as far away as Cambridge, Ipswich or Norwich.

The Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire Neonatal Network, supported by primary care trusts in the region, held a meeting to discuss the review at the hospital on Monday.

Helen Rush, parent support group treasurer, said: "We don't want the unit to be downgraded and we are worried the network is going to take it as a foregone conclusion.

"It would be very sad. It's testing enough when you're just going backwards and forwards to a local hospital, but having to drive further is very traumatic."

Andrew Ward, of Icklingham, said: "My daughter was born after 30 weeks. Potentially there could be an issue of not seeing the baby for a week or two.

"In this day and age it's ridiculous, especially with the stress you go through anyway."

Caroline Crescitelli, of Bury, said if the hospital had not had the high dependency cots when her son was born eight weeks early it would have been 'incredibly stressful'.

Mrs Crescitelli said: "You have not only got the worry of a sick baby but you have got the added emotional stress of being separated and not just being able to go to the hospital. I wouldn't like to see any parent go through that."

A spokeswoman for NHS East of England said the network was currently assessing all maternity and neonatal units.

"The majority of babies requiring special care should be looked after close to their homes and every obstetric unit will have at least one short term intensive care cot for resuscitation and stabilisation," she said.

"No decisions have been made and the NHS is committed to involving and engaging local people in the decision making process."

A spokesman for West Suffolk Hospital said: "We will comment on the assessment once it has been completed."

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