SERIOUSLY ill patients in rural communities will be in "very grave" danger, it has been claimed, after a decision by NHS bosses to reduce accident and emergency services at a "critically important" hospital.
Lady Swinton, Baroness Masham of Ilton, claims North Yorkshire residents are now in a "desperate situation" following a decision to suspend critical care services at The Friarage Hospital in Northallerton, in the face of “critical” staff shortages .
The latest warning comes after more than 2,500 people signed a petition campaigning against cuts at the hospital, with its founder saying "lives are being put at risk" as a result.
Last week, it was announced the Friarage accident and emergency department would be temporarily downgraded to a “24/7 Urgent Treatment Centre” from March 27.
NHS bosses said due to their inability to recruit staff to work at the hospital it was no longer safe for patients needing critical care to be treated at the Northallerton infirmary and they would launch a public consultation over future plans for emergency healthcare provision.
It is understood South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the hospital, does not have enough anaesthetists to run both A&E’s at the Friarage and James Cook Hospital in Middlesbrough, a situation which has resulted in Lady Swinton calling for a Government review into the amount of anaesthetists that can be recruited from overseas.
She said: "They are very short of staff – the situation is getting desperate for people in North Yorkshire and the people living here around Masham.
"This is now becoming a very grave situation – seriously ill patients will have to be transferred to James Cook and Darlington Memorial and they are already under pressure – surely there would need to be more ambulances to reach all the rural communities in North Yorkshire.
"The Friarage is a critically important hospital and more needs to be done. The people who make these decisions don't understand rural communities."
Holly Wilkinson, who launched the petition, said: "I and the rest of the Northallerton residents and the wider community are fearful for the future of the Friarage.
"People who live in the far flung corners of the Yorkshire Dales and the North Yorkshire Moors don’t have the choice (of James Cook) and need the Friarage."
Bosses said the centre would only be able to treat patients with minor illnesses and injuries, such as “slips, trips and falls and minor wounds”.
All 999 and GP emergency activity would be assessed for its appropriateness before arrival at The Friarage.
The decision received much criticism, with Councillor Linda Curran warning residents had been “condemned to a death sentence”, whilst Mark Robson, leader of Hambleton Distict Council, suggested the permanent closure of the A&E department was "inevitable".
Dr Adrian Clements, the hospital’s medical director, said: “We need to make these temporary changes to provide safe services for the population we serve.
“Despite our many efforts to recruit key medical staff over the last 18 months, support from our partners and the hard work of my team to keep services running, we are now facing significant risks because of an imminent gap in staffing.”
- To sign the petition, click here
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