I make no apology for returning to a subject which has already featured many times in this column: the Friarage Hospital in Northallerton.
Just two weeks ago I wrote about its special qualities and its importance to all of us who live in this part of the world. I made reference to the current problems it faces recruiting doctors to man some of its critical services.
Those services are A&E, 24/7 anaesthetic cover, the critical care unit and the acute medicine service.
This week saw the start of what our local NHS managers are calling an “engagement process” to discuss this problem and what might be done to solve it. It is clear they are considering changes. This is likely to lead to a consultation process on as yet unpublished proposals.
While I am not privy to the managers’ plans and to what extent they are fully formed at this stage I can say that this issue goes to the heart of what the Friarage Hospital will be in the future.
At stake is whether the Friarage is a hospital where if local people suddenly become seriously ill they can still go to get treatment as opposed to having to be taken to the James Cook University Hospital at Middlesbrough.
This already happens for people suffering from a stroke or heart attack, of if they are involved in a serious road accident. James Cook is the regional trauma centre and rightly so. People survive and get better sooner in these circumstances.
But changes to the A&E, critical care and acute medicine service will affect the way a much larger number of seriously-ill patients are treated.
While I understand and to a degree share people’s cynicism about “engagement” and consultation exercises based on past experiences, I would urge all of you to get involved in this process which will run well into next year.
I have been engaged with the local managers about the Friarage throughout the summer – you can see all the correspondence I have had on my website at www.rishisunak.com - but I need you all to join me to help maintain the quality range of the services at the Friarage.
It is vital that as many people as possible attend these meetings, understand what's going on and ask questions.
I share your passion for our much-loved local hospital and I will continue to do my utmost to protect sustainable services. But I need your help. Please attend one of the consultation events. Details of these can be found on the South Tees Hospitals website at www.southtees.nhs.uk/friarage/events/
On a more positive note, I was very pleased to be invited to attend last Friday’s Macmillan Coffee Morning at the Friarage which marked the start of work on The Sir Robert Ogden Cancer Centre. This £10m project now under construction at the front of the hospital is going to be a fantastic facility, improving the already excellent cancer care service at the Friarage.
It is also a vote of confidence in the hospital itself. The Friarage is not going to close, as some people have suggested. The only question is what sort of hospital it will be in the future.