YOUR editorial piece (D&S Times, June 23) restates questions concerning the Friarage Hospital in Northallerton that have been hanging in the air for a very long time.

With your permission I will try to answer some of them.

The present position is the inevitable result of the ill-conceived merging of the Friarage into the South Tees NHS Trust in 2002. From that point the diminution of the Friarage’s role in the provision of local healthcare was assured. The reasoning is simple. As you say in your piece, the Friarage serves a population of 122,000 whilst James Cook serves approximately 1.4 million.

Against that background it is impossible to build a business case, and be in no doubt, dear reader, that it is business that we are discussing here, for making investments in maintaining, let alone improving, services at the smaller facility. This is why services have already been lost or downgraded and is why the process will inexorably continue.

In addition we have allowed those involved with moving services to the James Cook hospital in Middlesbrough to get away with largely specious arguments – inability to attract and retain staff, and a requirement for consultantled provision – which apply to all remaining departments at Northallerton. Having used these arguments successfully to date they will re-use them as required. Those arguments however do not apply to one notable area; geriatrics.

How far will these cuts to the Friarage go? To the bitter end I’m afraid. There’s unlikely to be any lessening of financial stringency in the NHS as a whole and, even if there were, one has to question the inclination of the decision-makers in Middlesbrough to show any kind of warmth towards the Friarage.

Local philanthropists won’t be able to bear all of the burden.

What will we be left with when the cuts finally end? A rather large and, initially at least, well equipped old folks home situated at the side of a bus station where all the buses, to carry younger patients, leave for Middlesbrough.

Russell Smith, Northallerton

FROM my personal experience the Friarage is a wonderful facility and it is with great dismay that I read about possible further downgrading of the hospital.

It is with even greater dismay that I read in the same paper (D&S Times, June 23) about Rishi Sunak MP freeloading at the North Yorkshire Show and on the Wensleydale railway, when he should be fighting tooth-andnail to halt the possibility of any closures, as should all other local MPs. They should be organising an online petition and they should be leading a very vocal campaign of support.

Then we have our “oh-so laid back” local politicians, those on district and county councils. “Voicing concern”

is just not good enough when the lives of their constituents are being put at risk. When are they going to stop pontificating, get off their backsides and mobilise themselves and their constituents? They must become more visible and involve all of their contacts in the media, TV, Radio and newspapers and enlist their help There are a group of local people who write regular letters to the D&S Times, whingeing about nothing of any consequence. Why not start writing letters of importance to senior people in Government, the media and the NHS and keep on writing them?

My suggestion to our politicians is to find out the names of the people who are making decisions on the future of the Friarage. Name them and organise a co-ordinated social media campaign targeting the decision makers and have them explain the reasoning behind why people’s health is being put at risk.

The message to all North Yorkshire politicians is stop “voicing concern” - earn your money, work together, organise a serious campaign and get the decisions changed.

Edward Fraser, Thirsk

I AM appalled to read of the possibility of the closure of the mental health wards at the Friarage Hospital in Northallerton.

Unhappily I have much experience of the treatment, needs and troubles of mental patients. My late wife experienced a puerperal psychosis after the birth of our daughter.

They tried to keep her at home with the baby but events became so difficult she was removed to Darlington, where she stayed for five months before responding to ECT. I got my wife back.

The experience was terrible.

I am sure that Darlington is a much changed institution now, however my experience was a nightmare.

I could not get hold of any junior or above doctor to tell me what was going on. Before her ECT she was a druggedup zombie.

She came home and lived a full and productive life for 18 years and when the menopause hit, I brought the tea up to her on Boxing Day morning to find her trying to put a plastic bag over her head.

Into the Friarage. What a difference. Regular meetings with a consultant, huge support from all the nursing staff and, the most important thing, easy access. I could see her easily every evening, sort her laundry and needs. Mental patients need contact with family members and loved ones. The staff value this.

So that is the point. You cannot expect people from the far away up in the far Dales to be able to help and support the recovery of their loved ones at such a distance.

Past Skipton you are closer to Lancaster than Northallerton let alone the extra 30 miles to James Cook.

This is a high grade unit and needs our help and support.

AE Reid, Northallerton