Scarborough and York hospital merger goes ahead

Two hospital health trusts, which provide the bulk of hospital care in North Yorkshire, have merged.

The new organisation will also affect Bridlington Hospital in East Yorkshire.

Discussions over a merger between the York and Scarborough hospitals trusts began more than two years ago.

More than 2,000 staff at the Scarborough trust will transfer to the York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.

A single organisation will employ 8,500 staff working across 10 hospital sites in North and East Yorkshire.

'Beginning of process'

The Scarborough and North East Yorkshire Healthcare NHS Trust was identified this month as one of 20 NHS trusts across England that were no longer financially sustainable.

It ran hospital services in Scarborough, Malton, Whitby and Bridlington, East Yorkshire.

Those services will be provided in the future by the York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, which already runs hospitals in York and Selby.

Patrick Crowley, chief executive of the York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, said: "In many respects this marks the beginning rather than the end of the process.

"It is now that much of the detailed work must be undertaken to integrate the two organisations and ensure we're all working towards bringing the best out of the new trust and making sure we're offering the very best services that our patients deserve.

"We are optimistic that becoming one organisation will enable us to meet future challenges and ensure the continuation of high quality, safe and sustainable services across North Yorkshire."