Lawyers representing campaigners battling the suspension of accident and emergency services at the Friarage have launched High Court legal action.
Law firm Irwin Mitchell has applied to the High Court for a judicial review to be held into the legality of the change to an urgent treatment centre.
Lawyer Helen Smith, who is working with the Save the Friarage Hospital campaign, said: “The group is extremely worried by recent events related to the Friarage and after looking into its concerns we consider that there is clear merit in the decision-making process regarding the suspension to be reviewed.
“This issue goes beyond the pure health services on offer in Northallerton, as the suspension would undoubtedly affect Ambulance services, other local hospitals and the rural communities in a number of different ways. There has been no formal public consultation.
“With this in mind, our client’s believe there is a need to re instate the hospital services and revisit the original decision.
“We appreciate that the NHS faces difficult challenges, but it is clear that any decision on the future of services must always put the best interests of patients first and follow a fair process.”
The Save the Friarage Hospital group is concerned that the suspension of A&E services at the site will mean the loss of hospital beds in the emergency ward and intensive treatment unit beds.
They say they are worried there is a risk that there will be an adverse impact on other hospital services at The Friarage that rely on critical care services.
Campaigners are also worried that the move will have a knock-on effect for James Cook Hospital in Middlesbrough and the Darlington Memorial Hospital, as patients were diverted to the Friarage when those sites were at capacity.
The distance from The Friarage Hospital to these alternative hospitals is over 17 and 24 miles.
Holly Wilkinson, of the Save Friarage Hospital Group, said: “This decision is just the latest in a long line of cuts made to The Friarage since it merged with South Tees in 2002, but we think this one is simply a step too far.
“We believe this suspension of A & E services could put lives at risk and we have been left with no choice but to instruct Irwin Mitchell. We want to have our voices heard on this issue and now believe that legal action is the only way forward on the matter.
“We would be hugely grateful if anyone who feels as strongly as we do could join our campaign, share information and their experiences.”
At a public meeting last month, the Friarage Hospital’s medical director called on the public to back the new plan for the future of the hospital with the audience told the there was no way of keeping the A&E open.
Dr Adrian Clements, the South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust’s deputy chief executive and Friarage medical director, told the meeting that the replacement of the hospital’s A&E with a critical care unit was a permanent move and had only been called “temporary” to meet NHS England rules.
Doctors said the decision had been taken to downgrade the A&E because it would have been unsafe to continue without enough anaesthetists
They said, however, that they were optimistic about the future of the hospital.
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