THE Gazette & Herald is launching a campaign to stop further cuts at Malton Hospital after it was announced the opening hours of the minor injury unit are to be reduced.

Proposals are in place to cut the opening hours from 8am to 9.30pm, seven days a week, to just 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday.

The news has outraged local representatives who are backing our campaign to save the unit and prevent further cuts at the hospital.

Coun Lindsay Burr (Lib Dem), ward member for Malton on Ryedale District Council, said the reduced hours would have a massive negative impact on the area.

She said: “I am shocked and disappointed to hear that staff from Malton’s minor injury unit have had official letters to inform them that a meeting will be held to discuss plans to reduce hours of the unit to 9am-5pm and closure on a weekend.

“The unit is vital to all Ryedale residents and looks after children, adults and the elderly alike.”

Coun Burr said that as everyone knew, travelling on the A64 either to Scarborough or York was not ideal, especially when someone is ill.

“Over the last three months, the Malton unit looked after more than 900 patients over the weekends,” she said.

“Whitby Hospital will not be affected, therefore Malton Hospital is being targeted and the nurses working at Malton will need to be deployed to York or Scarborough where I am sure alternative jobs will not be available.”

Coun Burr said she had been told the plan to reduce hours would be brought in as a temporary measure and would be implemented on or around December 3.

“If this plan is introduced as temporary measure, then no consultation needs to take place. It is being introduced through the back door.

“I’m determined to put up a damned good fight to save our unit and say no to Malton’s minor injury unit’s reduced hours – Don’t Cut the Care.”

Dr Michael Lynch, senior partner at Derwent Practice, Malton, said the move would save an estimated £100,000 which was a “drop in the ocean” against the £19 million deficit in the region.

“About 40,000 patients from Ryedale will have to travel to Yorkor Scarborough, including visitors to the area, nursing home residents and factory workers with waiting times measured in hours rather than minutes,” he said.

“Ambulance staff are already stretched and will struggle, while highly-trained, experienced nurses, who have been treated appallingly, will leave.

“As a Ryedale resident, irrespective of personal interest in the hospital, I feel very disappointed and angry.”

Simon Cox, chief operating officer for NHS Scarborough and Ryedale Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), said: “As many people will already know, the NHS in North Yorkshire and York is facing significant financial challenges and the Primary Care Trust (PCT) is predicting a year end deficit of £19 million.

“In order to help prevent the PCT’s deficit from increasing further, we and other CCGs in the area, are working together to identity a range of short-term measures. One of these is to review the opening times of minor injuries units.

“Statistics show that during weekdays the majority of patients access the unit between 9am and 5pm. For patients requiring services outside these hours and during weekends there are alternative services, such as the GP out-of-hours service. Patients can get more information about the choices available to them from NHS Direct.”

He added: “We are currently in talks with the provider of the minor injuries unit in Malton, York Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, to agree an appropriate course of action.

“It is important to state that any action we take will be short-term and will only apply to the end of this financial year – April 2013.”

Join our campaign

We believe the minor injuries unit is a necessity in our rural area.We have seen Malton Hospital facilities eroded over time, and even a short-term reduction in this essential service is unacceptable.

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