Fears Grow Over Review of Services at Hospital

By Nicola Fenwick

FEARS aremounting over the future of the accident and emergency and maternity units at one of the region?s hospitals.

Services at Northallerton?s Friarage Hospital are under review by North Yorkshire and York Primary Care Trust (PCT) ? along with those in other hospitals.

After a meeting of North Yorkshire County Council?s scrutiny of health committee, both the PCT and the South Tees Health Trust said there were no current plans to axe services at the Friarage.

However, the outcome of the review will not be published until October and countycouncillor Gareth Dadd is not convinced that the units? futures are secure.

Gary Hardman, the PCT?s director of nursing and patient care, presented reports on services in Hambleton and Scarborough to the committee.

The Scarborough report said its A&E and maternity services could not be cut, while the report on Hambleton offered no such assurance and outlined the difficulties the Friarage faces as a small hospital.

Mr Hardman confirmed to Coun Dadd, when asked, that Scarborough?s services are safe, but declined to give the same assurances for the Friarage.

?My take on this is that, at the very least, the public should be aware that they are seriously looking at this, ? said Coun Dadd, who represents Thirsk. ?We are on amber, alert if not red alert.

?It all comes down to money.

In a rural area or deeply rural area we haven?t got the bums on seats ? or on beds. I?m sure the trust sees the Friarage as a drain on their funds, while we see it as a first line service. ? The current review appears tobe reassessing the conclusions of the Clinical Futures exercise in 2005. This focused on the Friarage and, while making clear the risks and issues it faces as a small hospital, concluded the trust would continue to provide the current range of services.

A spokesman for North Yo rkshire and York PCT said: ?There are no plans to remove accident and emergency or maternity services from the Friarage Hospital. This review is about assessing how we can meet the future health needs of the local population, which includes unscheduled care.

?The review, which was discussed at the scrutiny of health committee, picks up on work previously carried out in Hambleton and Richmondshire.

?This review is not about closing or removing services but focuses on developing existing services to ensure they are safe and effectively meet the needs of local people. ?

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