issued December 15, 2011
Richmondshire District Councillors are
united in their condemnation of proposals to remove services at The
Friarage Hospital in Northallerton.
They have voted unanimously to support a
proposal to advise NHS health chiefs that it ‘considers it
essential for the peace of mind and well being of the residents in
the District that the paediatric service is maintained at The
Friarage for the benefit they provide to in patients and their
relatives, and for the support they give to maintaining a 24 / 7
consultant-led maternity service at the hospital’.
Members of the Council were told on Tuesday
(Dec 13) that a National Clinical Advisory Team (NCAT) is currently
reviewing the future of these services, and it is likely it will
suggest they are transferred to the James Cook University Hospital
in Middlesbrough.
“It is well known that proposals are in
existence to potentially withdraw these services as a way of
addressing a significant funding shortfall for the South Tees
Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which operates both the Friarage
and the James Cook University Hospital,” said Council Leader,
Councillor John Blackie.
“We fear is that the writing is on the wall –
these teams are usually called in to justify proposals of this
nature.
“Both the maternity services and the
paediatric services are very highly regarded by Richmondshire
mothers and mothers-to-be, many of whom choose to go to The
Friarage even though the Darlington Memorial Hospital providing
similar services might be nearer.
“For some it will mean a trek of 60 miles to
have a baby, and this may end up as a roadside birth in the back of
an ambulance, a totally unsatisfactory and avoidable event.”
The decision of the Council will be conveyed
to the NCAT team itself, and other key health organisations
involved, as well as other District Councils whose residents are
served by the Friarage, and North Yorkshire County Council.
Councillor Blackie added: “I hope this
approach will provide the basis for all Councils impacted by any
proposal to transfer these services to stand together with the
local communities they represent to fight to retain them at The
Friarage Hospital. After all the strongest voice, the most
compelling voice, is a voice that unites all with a common
purpose.”