Scunthorpe hospital changes to be shared at drop-in sessions

Scunthorpe General Hospital's trauma unit and overnight emergency surgery could be moved to Grimsby

Proposed changes to services at Scunthorpe General Hospital are to be outlined at drop-in sessions.

Under the plans, a trauma unit and out-of-hours emergency overnight surgery would be moved to Diana, Princess of Wales Hospital in Grimsby.

The NHS said it would allow for improvements in the quality of care in northern Lincolnshire.

People were invited to learn more about the plans at a series of consultation events due to start on Thursday.

The proposals also include moving Scunthorpe's paediatric overnight care and some medical specialties to Grimsby.

A consultation on the plans was launched by the NHS Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board (ICB), which cited staffing shortages as the key reason behind the proposals.

Emergency care for most patients would continue to be provided at both hospitals and both sites would keep their accident and emergency departments.

Under the plans, some services would only be hosted at Diana, Princess of Wales Hospital

Dr James Crick, the ICB's clinical lead in East Yorkshire and Hull, said: "It is difficult to always give people the very best care because we have trouble attracting and keeping enough doctors, nurses and specialist staff with the right skills and expertise.

"This means some specialists (that cover particular health needs) are not available every day across both hospital sites in Scunthorpe and Grimsby and we are relying too heavily on temporary staff to fill the gaps, which is both costly and inefficient."

He added that without any changes, he believed "some services would become unsafe and unsustainable".

Drop in sessions take place on Thursday at The Courtyard in Boothferry Road, Goole, on 16 October at Grimsby Town Hall and on 20 October at The Pods in Ashby Road, Scunthorpe, all from 12:00 BST to 20:00.