The Petition of Dr Michael Lynch, Derwent Practice, Norton Road, Malton,
Declares that the Petitioner has a strong objection to the way in which North Yorkshire and York Primary Care Trust have implemented the closure of Ryedale ward at Malton Hospital, without public consultation.
The Petitioner therefore requests that the House of Commons urges the Government to take all possible steps to reinstate what is a highly valued and much needed facility at Malton Hospital for the population of Ryedale.
And the Petitioner remains, etc.—[Presented by Miss Anne McIntosh, Official Report, 16 November 2010; Vol. 518, c. 857 .]
[P000868]
Observations from the Secretary of State for the Department of Health:
This Government are committed to devolving power to local communities, to the people, patients, GPs and councils who are best placed to determine the nature of their local NHS services. This Government have pledged that, in future, all service changes must be led by clinicians and patients, not be driven from the top down. To this end, the Secretary of State for Health has outlined new, strengthened criteria that he expects decisions on NHS service changes to meet. They must focus on improving patient outcomes, consider patient choice, have support from GP commissioners and be based on sound clinical evidence.
The Ryedale ward within Malton Community hospital was temporarily closed in October 2010, to support a trial of enhanced community services to allow patients to be treated closer to home. The closure of the Ryedale ward is for a trial period only. The outcome of this trial period will be fully evaluated in April 2011, which will inform any decision on next steps beyond that point. If the trial leads to a proposed, permanent service change, full consultation and engagement would be undertaken in accordance with due process, and the scheme would be assessed against the four tests.