Plan to scale back paediatric services at Friarage
Health experts have confirmed their intention to reduce children's and maternity services at The Friarage Hospital in Northallerton.
Friarage campaigners question cuts after survey
The campaign to save maternity and children's services at the Friarage Hospital in Northallerton has been stepped up after new research.
Talks on future of Northallerton hospital
People are being given another chance to discuss plans to downgrade children's services at the Friarage Hospital in Northallerton.
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Save our Friarage candidate wins Richmond seat
An independent candidate representing the fight to save consultant led maternity services at the Friarage Hospital in Northallerton has won a seat on North Yorkshire County Council.
Stuart Parsons stood in the Richmond ward for the 'Save our Friarage' group.
Deadline day looms for Friarage consultation report
Today marks the deadline for the findings of a report into the future of consultant-led maternity services at the Friarage Hospital to be handed to the Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt.
The NHS is planning to reduce services at the Friarage in Northallerton, claiming that they are unsustainable.
However, supporters of the unit hope that the findings of the report will lead to a full comprehensive review of the consultant-led maternity services at the hospital.
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"We said that we would leave no stone unturned"
Plans to downgrade children's services at Friarage Hospital in North Yorkshire will be referred to the Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt.
There has been local opposition to the plans - which would see some services transferred to the James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough.
Jim Clark, from North Yorkshire County Council's Health and Scrutiny Committee, spoke of the events that led to the decision being made to refer to the plans to the Health Secretary
Friarage meeting to discuss future of its services
A meeting is being held this evening to discuss proposals to reduce the maternity and children's health services at the Friarage Hospital in Northallerton.
The NHS Trust wants to remove consultant-led services from the hospital and recently postponed a public consultation.
Tonight North Yorkshire County Council is meeting to discuss whether to refer the matter to the Health Secretary.
Richmondshire Council calls for plans to be re-examined
Members of the Richmondshire Council have unanimously voted to call upon the bigger North Yorkshire County Council to 'call in' plans to remove what they say are key services from the Friarage Hospital in Northallerton.
The North Yorkshire County Council's Health and Scrutiny Committee could then call for the plans to be re-examined by the Secretary of State for Health, Jeremy Hunt.
The council says that the wishes of the local community have been ignored in wanting to keep the 24-hour Children's and Maternity Services, which would be downgraded if plans were to go ahead.
Council condemns "done deal" to remove key services
Richmondshire Council have condemned plans to remove the children's and maternity services at the Friarage Hospital in Northallerton as being a "done deal from the outset."
They have also been critical of the Primary Care Trust which they say has failed to both to listen and respond to local communities.
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Richmondshire to research work of other small hospitals
Richmondshire Council have announced that they will be conducting research into the work of small hospitals elsewhere in the country in a bid to prove that the services to be scrapped at the Friarage Hospital must stay.
The research will look into the work done by at least three other hospitals in the West Country who face a similar amount of demand for services to that of the Friarage. This includes the North Devon Hospital which operates a 24 hour maternity and children's service.
– Councillor John Blackie, District leader for Richmondshire Council"We consider the local NHS, rather than dismissing out of hand the opportunity to continue with these hugely important services at The Friarage, and excluding this option from the forthcoming consultation on downgrading them, should be asking themselves the question if these small hospitals can do it, why can’t we?
The evidence we collect from our fact finding mission is intended to prompt our local health chiefs to provide us, the local public their organisations serve, with their answer to this question."
Hague disappointed over Friarage plans
The Foreign Secretary and Richmond MP William Hague has expressed his disappointment at plans to scale-back some services at the Friarage in Northallerton.
Children's services could reduced overnight at the North Yorkshire hospital and downgraded to a mid-wife led unit.
The recommendation came in a report published yesterday by the Hambleton, Richmondshire and Whitby Clinical Commissioning Group.
The Conservative MP called it a 'serious blow' for the area. The commissioning group says it's committed to quality patient care.
Plan to scale back paediatric services at Friarage
Health experts have confirmed their intention to reduce children's and maternity services at The Friarage Hospital in Northallerton.
Read the full storyPlans to scale back child services at Friarage
Campaigners trying to save children's and maternity services at a North Yorkshire hospital say they're disappointed at a decision to scale them back.
Families have protested for months about possible changes at the Friarage hospital.
But today final plans were revealed which would see an end to overnight paediatric care.
The group commissioning the changes say it will have to go to full consultation before any definite decision can be made.
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