Hague attends hospital cuts rally

People from across North Yorkshire attended a rally to try to save maternity services at the Friarage Hospital in Northallerton.

Among them was Foreign Secretary and Richmond MP William Hague.

The Friarage hospital is the most important single provider of health care in this area and having a maternity unit in such a rural area is very important otherwise people would face from the top of Wensleydale a round trip of more than 100 miles to go and have their baby or to get paediatric and maternity care in Middlesbrough and that is unacceptably far.

A petition was handed in to the trust which runs the hospital. South Tees NHS Trust says it will listen to all the families' concerns and that no decision has yet been made.