Health chiefs to face critics in clash over merger plans

Scarborough Hospital, which has a long history of financial and care quality concerns, has approached York Hospital about a partnership in response to a national drive for all hospitals to become foundation trusts by 2013. Scarborough Hospital has also been criticised by watchdogs over standards of some of its care.

Trust chief executive Richard Sunley and the its director of facilities James Hayward will be under the spotlight at a scrutiny committee meeting in the town hall in Scarborough from 2pm.

High on the agenda is the trust's plans to enter into a partnership arrangement with York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.

Officials will answer questions on the background to the proposals, the reasons, the nature of the proposed partnership and the impact on local services. They will also be grilled on the recent critical Care Quality Commission report on safety and quality standards at Scarborough Hospital and how the trust is responding to the regulator's concerns.

Committee chairman Godfrey Allanson said yesterday: "We want to hear from them directly about what the partnership arrangement would mean for patients and how concerns from the Care Quality Commission have been addressed.

"It will be the first opportunity we've had to hear directly from trust management and for councillors to ask pertinent questions and I'm looking forward to getting some clarity.

"I'm very grateful to Mr Sunley and Mr Hayward for giving up their time."

Mr Allanson added: "I think this will be a valuable opportunity for councillors and those members of the public that are interested, to drill down underneath the rumour and speculation and get some facts about the current situation and the future direction of the trust."

The scrutiny committees allows members of the public to speak for up to three minutes, the slots being allocated on a first come, first served basis.

Anyone wanting to address the meeting will need to register their interest with overview and scrutiny manager St John Harris on 01723 383556 by 5pm today.