Hundreds turn out for hospital protest

HUNDREDS of people joined a march to protest against cuts to opening hours at a rural minor injuries unit.

Organisers praised the “phenomenal” response to calls to join the march at Malton, with an estimated 500 to 800 people turning out on one of the busiest shopping days of the year.

The minor injuries unit at Malton Hospital has shut in the evenings and weekends, leaving people facing a long journey to Scarborough and York, as NHS chiefs battle with a major cash crisis.

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Officials say the move, which is expected to save £100,000, is short term, but Coun Lindsay Burr, who organised the march with GP Mike Lynch, fears it could become permanent.

She said: “It was absolutely amazing. People just feel it is something they need to fight against and obviously try to overturn the cuts.

“Because they are saying it is an interim measure they don’t have go through consultation.

“We believe this has been done through the back door. Staff have been redeployed, the unit is basically redundant for six months and it will be very difficult to get it up and running and get the staff back.

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“Their argument is that it’s underused and not value for money. We see it as a service – it is what people need.”

Around 5,000 signatures have been gathered on petitions which will be presented to Simon Cox, chief operating officer at NHS Scarborough and Ryedale Clinical Commissioning Group, when they next meet in January.

The CCG was not available for comment yesterday.

Last month Mr Cox said they were trying to prevent the primary care trust’s deficit from increasing further.

He said the majority of patients used the unit on weekdays between 9am and 5pm, and outside these hours there were alternatives including the GP out-of-hours service.

He said: “Any action we take will be short term and only apply to the end of this financial year.”