Thoughts on changes to the Friarage Hospital

Healthwatch North Yorkshire gathered views from local residents between 2019 and early 2020 about proposed changes to services at the Friarage Hospital in Northallerton. Most feedback related to plans to replace the hospital’s A&E department with an Urgent Treatment Centre. Many people felt the consultation did not offer a genuine choice and expressed concern that awareness of the consultation had been limited.

The strongest concern was the potential loss of local services. Many respondents feared that changes to urgent and emergency care could lead to further reductions at the hospital in the future. Travel was a major issue, particularly for people living in rural areas, older people and those with long-term health conditions. Residents worried about the time, cost and practical difficulties of travelling to hospitals such as James Cook or York for treatment.

Communication was another recurring theme. People described problems with cancelled appointments, referrals, transfers between hospitals and communication between secondary care and GP services. Despite these concerns, many respondents spoke very positively about staff at the Friarage, describing them as caring, professional and dedicated.

Healthwatch also highlighted concerns about access to urgent mental health support following the changes. Feedback suggested that some people experiencing mental health crises were being redirected between services, creating confusion and delays. Overall, the report concluded that quality of care, local access to services and effective communication were the issues that mattered most to local people and should be central to future service planning.